Chasing Old Ghosts
by sammy1026
Summary: Sometimes an unexpected event can awaken old ghosts.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** This story started off as a simple little one-shot birthday present for Mari. Then, as things in my fic-writing life are wont to do, it took a bit of a turn. The fic is 100% complete but I'm going to post it in 5 chapters because expecting anyone to read close to 80 pages of what I've written in one sitting feels a wee bit too self-indulgent to me. So there will be one chapter posted per day for the next five days.

This one is completely different than anything I've ever posted in this fandom before. If you like it all thanks go to my friend Liza for strong arming me into writing it. If you don't we'll just assume her idea was good and my execution wasn't. LOL

Happy Belated Birthday, Mari! The best writing partner anyone could ever ask for. Now that this beast is finally done we can get started on our next adventure!

**Chasing Old Ghosts Chapter 1**

**Danny's Car**

**10:45 A.M.**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Steve laughed as he maneuvered the Camaro through mid-morning traffic. "I knew you were interested in this girl. Very interested even. But this goes way, way beyond that. This is…" He trailed off as he searched for the right word.

"Don't mock, Steve. It's unattractive," Danny huffed as he turned his head to look out the passenger's side window.

"I'm not mocking. I'm just…you _willingly_ went for a moonlight walk….on the beach?"

Steve had been trying to get his head around the information for a good thirty minutes and he just couldn't.

"That's a thing people do," Danny defended.

"It's a thing _people_ do," Steve agreed. "It's just not a thing _you_ do."

"I didn't pick it…okay. I asked Amber what she wanted to do after dinner last night and…that was what she wanted to do." Danny was becoming more agitated as the conversation went on.

"No, I understand that." Steve was clearly enjoying his partner's discomfort. "What I don't get is how you're not ranting about it this morning. I haven't heard one complaint about sand between your toes, or anywhere else," Steve smirked. "In fact, I believe you're actually smiling."

"I smile, Steve. I am capable of smiling. I often share a smile with the world."

"If you say so." Steve continued to make his way back towards headquarters, an enormous grin firmly in place.

After a few minutes of silence Danny couldn't stand it anymore.

"You know what…why don't you just spit it out?"

"Spit what out," Steve asked innocently.

"Whatever it is you've been dying to say all morning."

"I've got nothing….it's just…ok…you're smitten."

"I'm a grown man, not a teenage girl," Danny scoffed.

"Meaning?"

"I do not get smitten."

"Then what would you call it?"

"I'm….interested. Very interested."

"You've got a goofy smile."

"Does this conversation seem at all familiar to you," Danny asked, recalling a morning in the hallway of the medical examiner's office four years earlier. "I mean are you getting any sense of déjà vu at all?"

"I think….you know what I think…..I think you're in love."

"That….my friend…. is a stone that you, in particular, do not want to throw…..especially from the big, glass house you currently reside in," Danny warned.

"We're not talking about me here; we're talking about you," Steve grinned.

Danny was saved from any further discussion on the topic, at least temporarily, by the ringing of the phone. Steve chuckled and then answered the call.

"Chin, what'd you find out?"

The team had caught a case in the early hours of the morning. A garbage collector, making his rounds at a local strip mall, found several bags of body parts in the dumpster. Thirty minutes later a different collector found three more bags of severed limbs across town.

Max was in the process of inventorying the contents of the bags to determine how many victims they were dealing with and to ascertain any possible clues to their identities.

"Nothing much yet. Max is sending up a preliminary report soon but he says he needs another couple of hours before he'll have the final body count. There's no chance for fingerprints though; all the finger tips are missing."

"Did HPD come up with anything when they searched the dumpsters?"

"Not yet. They're still looking though."

"Anything from the garbage company?"

"They're calling in all their trucks and searching them as we speak. They said they'd let us know if they find anything. I also called the dump; they're gonna cordon of all the garbage that came in overnight and this morning. We're gonna need to send someone out there to help search."

"Call HPD. See if they can spare a few guys to do it."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Chin. Danny and I will be there in a few minutes." Steve disconnected the call and turned to his partner. "Don't think we won't be revisiting the moonlight beach walking later."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Danny sighed.

* * *

**Five-0 Headquarters**

**11:00 A.M.**

"Bad news," Chin said as Steve and Danny entered the office. He was standing at the smart table opposite Catherine and Kono. They were studying the preliminary report Max had just sent up. "Duke says they're shorthanded and can only spare two people to help with the search at the dump. We need to send out some manpower of our own."

"Not me!" Steve and Danny said in unison as they crossed the room to join the others.

They turned to look at Kono, both noticing that at some point while they were out of the office she had changed clothes and was now wearing a black skirt and somewhat conservative white blouse.

"Why are you dressed…..like that," Danny asked.

"Gee, Danny, you sure how to make a girl feel special." Kono rolled her eyes and Catherine chuckled.

"I didn't mean…I'm not trying….I just noticed you changed your clothes."

"I changed because I have to testify in…" she looked at her watch, "…exactly 27 minutes in the Warrick case, so I need to get going."

"Damn. I forgot that was today," Steve said.

"Well it is," Kono smiled triumphantly as she gathered her things. "So I guess that leaves me out of garbage patrol. Have fun boys," she called over her shoulder as she headed out the door.

"What does she mean have fun _boys_?" Danny scoffed.

Three sets of eyes turned to Catherine.

"I'd say you're up, Newbie," Chin smiled.

"Sorry. Not me either." Catherine shook her head.

"Why not you?" Danny asked. "The Warrick case is a retrial from over a year ago. You weren't even working here then so there's no way you have to testify."

Catherine smiled. "Well, if you recall, two weeks ago when Grace's school asked for someone to come in and give a presentation to the students about a career in law enforcement, you all volunteered me."

Danny remembered quite clearly receiving a call from Principal Fiske requesting a guest speaker for the assembly. He had done the presentation the year before and while he enjoyed the talk itself, he found the question and answer period afterward to be a bit…disconcerting.

'_What does it feel like shoot someone?' 'Did you ever beat up a suspect when no one was looking?' 'Have you ever been offered a bribe?'_

He decided it would be better to send someone else this year.

"We did?" he feigned ignorance.

"Yes, you did," Catherine smiled indulgently. "As a matter of fact you pretty much insisted I should be the one to go. You sold it to Principal Fiske on the theory that I could cover two topics. Both law enforcement and a naval career. "

"That _is_ a valid argument," Danny defended.

Catherine looked at him skeptically. "When I pointed out to you that Steve could cover the same two topics, and in fact add in the third one—SEALS—you changed your tune and claimed it had to do with giving the girls at the school a good female role model."

Catherine had actually been looking forward to the presentation all week. She just couldn't resist giving the boys a hard time.

"That was a good point, too," Steve said as Chin nodded in agreement. "Kono did the presentation three years ago but there's a whole new crop of little girls there now who need strong female role models."

"Uh-huh. It was all about the kids, right? Had nothing at all to do with the three of you not wanting to do it."

"We've all done it at least once," Steve said. "We just thought it would be nice to give someone else a chance."

Chin laughed.

"I'm not sure what you're laughing at." Catherine turned an appraising eye on him. "You went right along with them."

"I'm laughing because I'm on the witness list in the Warrick case as well. I'm due on the stand right after lunch. So that leaves me out."

Danny realized that there was no way he was getting out of a trip to the dump. "It seemed like such a good idea at the time," he sighed.

"I'm sure it did, but now I get to spend my afternoon talking to a bunch of bright, energetic students and you two get to spend your afternoon crawling through piles of garbage."

"You don't have to look so happy about it," Danny groused.

"I'm not happy so much as I'm…..no you're right…I'm happy. Like Kono said…have fun boys. Try not to get too smelly, Steve. Remember, we have plans tonight."

"Are we still doing that?"

"Yes, we're still doing that."

"What?" Danny perked up.

"Nothing," Steve muttered.

"Come on. You made fun of me all morning for walking on the beach in the moonlight…"

"You walked on the beach in the moonlight?" Chin and Catherine asked in unison.

Yes, I walked on the beach in the moonlight. I have no idea why you're all acting as though this is some monumental event."

"Well not so much monumental as…" Chin searched for the right word.

"Completely unexpected," Catherine provided.

"That's it," Chin smiled. "Completely unexpected."

"You know what? I'm done with all of you," Danny huffed. "I'm going to check if I have any old clothes in my locker to change into."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**12:00 P.M.**

Catherine glanced around the bustling school office as she stood waiting for Principal Fiske. The scene was so familiar—a secretary with a phone pressed to her ear patiently answering questions, mountains of papers waiting to be whipped into some semblance of order, younger students standing on their tip toes to see over the counter. She couldn't help but think of how many times she had stood in an office just like this one, minus the high tech electronics of course, and waited with equal parts anticipation and dread to get started at yet another new school.

The door to the principal's inner office opened and a pretty brunette emerged and started towards Catherine before being stopped mid-stride by a harried student with a question. Catherine couldn't help but think, as she watched the woman's easy demeanor, that things had certainly changed since she was in school, where most of the principals she had experience with were older, stern looking gentleman who had very little compassion for a young girl on her third new school in two years.

Once the student's issue was dealt with the woman continued across the office and extended her hand to Catherine.

"Ms. Rollins. I'm Principal Fiske. It's very nice to meet you. Thanks so much for coming in to talk to the students today."

"My pleasure," Catherine extended her hand in return.

"You certainly came very highly recommended. Grace's father couldn't talk you up enough."

Catherine smiled.

"That's good to hear." She pictured Danny on his way to the dump, wishing he was here preparing to give the presentation instead. "I know he would have loved to be here himself."

"Oh, I know. We can always count on Grace's dad to help anytime we ask. He did this presentation last year and the students loved him."

"I guess I have big shoes to fill then. I'll do my best to live up to his standards."

"I'm sure you'll do great," Principal Fiske said confidently. "Your credentials are certainly impressive, Annapolis, three tours in Afghanistan, Naval Intelligence and now a position at Five-0. The kids are gonna love you."

"Thanks. I'm excited to talk to them," Catherine said sincerely.

Principal Fiske's phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's one of those days. I need to take care of an issue in the cafeteria real quick."

"It's fine. Take your time," Catherine assured her.

"I shouldn't be long. You can start down to the auditorium if you like so you can get a feel for the setup. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Sounds good."

"Do you know the way?"

"No, this is my first visit to your school."

"Just go straight down this way," the principal indicated as they stepped out of the office into the hallway. "All the way to the end. There are two large sets of doors on the right. You can't miss it."

"Thanks. I'm sure I'll find it."

"I'll see you down there in a few minutes."

Catherine thanked her and headed down the hall. She smiled as she looked at the familiar rows of lockers and the colorfully decorated bulletin boards. The bell to signal the end of the class period sounded loudly and suddenly the hall was filled with students. Most of them barely seemed to notice Catherine as they talked, laughed, and made their way towards their next destination.

Suddenly a familiar voice called from behind her.

"Aunty Cath!"

"Hi Grace," Catherine turned and smiled as Grace approached her with another smiling girl. "How's your day going?"

"Good. This is my friend Caryn."

"Hi, Caryn. Nice to meet you."

"You too," the young girl smiled

"Are you ready for your presentation?"

"I think so."

"Danno told me to tell my friends to think up a lot of good questions for you. Last year when he did the assembly people asked a lot of questions."

"I'll have to remember to thank him," Catherine grinned.

"We have lunch period now. We'll be in the second assembly."

"That'll give me a chance to get the kinks out the first time through," Catherine ruffled her hair.

"See you later. Danno said it was ok for me to ride home with you if it's ok with you."

"It's fine with me, honey. I talked to him about it earlier. We'll stop off for some shave ice and then I'll drop you at home."

"Thanks! That sounds fun. We better get going. We have to get lunch before the next bell rings."

"What's on the menu?" Catherine asked.

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

"Sounds pretty good." Catherine tried to be enthusiastic, but from what she remembered about cafeteria food there probably wasn't much to be excited about.

"It's not bad. Kinda mushy. The cookies are the best though. Chocolate chip. Do you want me to bring you one?"

"That'd be great. Thanks."

"Ok. See you later," Grace said happily as she and Caryn headed off in the opposite direction from where Catherine was going.

Catherine found the auditorium with no problem and made her way to the front of the room. It was very similar to every school auditorium she'd ever been in. The elevated stage was at front. The seats rose up the sloped floor towards the back of the room. There were aisles along the left and right edge and a large wide center aisle.

Out of habit Catherine took notice of the exits. In addition to the two large sets of doors in the back of the room there was another set on each side, directly in front of the stage. The heavy red drape that concealed the stage when not in use was in place. There was a podium on the front edge of the stage apron, directly in the middle, with an empty folding chair on either side.

She turned and watched as teachers began to lead their classes in to the room and get them settled in their seats. Catherine noticed that each of the classes seemed to be around 20 students. One of the many advantages of a private school education. They were able to keep their class size smaller and thus ensure each student more one-on-one attention.

A woman who looked to Catherine to be about eight months pregnant led her class down to the front of the section of seats on the right and got them settled. She placed her hand on her lower back and stretched as the last of her students took their seats.

Catherine noticed that these students all seemed to be a bit older than Grace. She had been told that the children would be split by grade for the assemblies so she should prepare one presentation suitable for older students and one, tamed down a little, for the younger grades.

An older woman, who looked to be in her mid-60s, brought her class in next and they settled immediately behind the first students. The next teacher in, a very young looking woman, was having a little more trouble controlling her charges. They were talking loudly and shoving each other in and out of the rows.

Catherine ascended the short flight of stairs and moved to the center of the stage to check out the podium. As she did Principal Fiske entered through the door to the right of the stage. She noticed the chaos immediately and addressed the students.

"Alright, everyone. Let's settle down. We're very lucky to have Ms. Rollins here to speak to us today."

Before the principal could say another word the doors of the auditorium banged open and shots rang out. Catherine drew her weapon out of pure instinct, but immediately knew it was pointless. Four men, all armed with automatic rifles, entered the room, firing warning shots into the ceiling. One of the men immediately began yelling instructions. The children initially froze, then started to panic. When a small group of them started towards the door on the left of the room one of the men immediately began shooting in that direction.

"No one goes near any of the doors," he shouted menacingly. "Is that understood?"

Three of the men made their way quickly down the center aisle to the front of the room while the fourth man remained in the back, guarding the two sets of doors. Catherine could hear screaming from outside the auditorium so she knew that the others in the school were aware of what was happening. Within seconds she heard the fire alarm go off. She hoped that there weren't other men outside of the auditorium and that the remainder of the students and faculty were able to get away safely.

As she tried to block out the chaos around her and assess the situation her eyes were drawn to three large gas canisters attached to a small explosive device that two of the men had placed directly in front of the stage.

There was no mistaking the markings on the canisters.

They contained cyanide gas.

"Everybody stay where you are," one of the men screamed. "If I see anyone on their phone I will not hesitate to shoot you."

"Do as they say," Principal Fiske yelled over and over, attempting to break through the chaos and panic and get the young people to comply. As principal of the school, her first responsibility was to get her students and faculty through this, whatever it was, alive and unharmed. She had been through hours of classroom training on how to deal with an event just like this one. But it only took seconds to fully understand that classroom training couldn't compare to the reality of having a man stand five feet from you and point a machine gun at your head.

Suddenly one of the men spotted the gun in Catherine's hand. He moved towards her quickly and grabbed her wrist.

"You're not going to be needing that," he growled as he twisted her arm as hard as he could. The gun dropped from her hand and clattered to the floor. Catherine reacted by instinct and brought the palm of her hand up and delivered a sharp blow to the man's collar bone forcing him to let go of her arm. She felt a rush of satisfaction as she heard his bone snap.

The man screamed in pain and stumbled a few steps back. It only took him a minute to recover, however, and he came back towards Catherine with fury in his eyes. The other inhabitants of the room watched in horror as the man delivered a blow directly to Catherine's jaw, knocking her off her feet.

"Enough," one of the other men yelled as he stepped in between them. "That's not what we came here to do."

Catherine assumed he was the leader of the group by the way the man who had struck her backed off immediately, albeit reluctantly, though he kept his angry gaze fixed on her.

She could taste a small amount of blood on her lip but refused to give any of the men the satisfaction of reaching up to feel the wound.

"There'll be no more of that. We're not here to harm anyone."

"What are you here for?" Catherine asked as she scrambled to her feet.

"We're here because this is the quickest was for us to get the attention of the people over at Pearl-Hickam."

"We have no association with them," Principal Fiske said angrily.

"Maybe not," the man spat back. "But I've been trying to get information from them for six months and they act as though I don't exist. I needed a little something to get their attention. Your school was as good a choice as any."

"If you want something from them this is not the way to get it. They won't negotiate," Catherine said as calmly as possible.

"If they don't, they're going to have to answer to the citizens of this island for a lot of dead children," the man sneered.

He then turned and faced the auditorium. "I want everyone to calm down, come down here to the front and take a seat on the floor. My associate is going to pass around a box. Put your phone in it along with any other electronic device you might have. "

As the students were complying with the orders Catherine took a minute to study the men. The one she had identified as the leader appeared to be in his late 40s. He had no discernable accent. His blonde hair was shaggy and shoulder length. He stood about 6'2". Catherine's eyes were drawn to his left hand where he carried what appeared to be a detonator of some kind.

The second man, the one whose collarbone she was pretty sure she had broken, looked to be about the same age, with a more olive complexion. He was shorter, maybe 5'11' but well-built and muscular. He had dark hair and dark eyes. It was difficult to make an assessment after such a short time but he definitely seemed more volatile than the man in charge.

The third man, who was currently prowling back and forth across the apron of the stage, assuring no one moved towards either of the doors, was tall and lanky. Catherine guessed 6'4" at least. He had short black hair and a scar above his left eye.

The fourth man, the one who had remained in the back of the room, was too far away for Catherine to make any kind of reliable observation.

The teachers, with the help of Principal Fiske, got the last of the students moved to the front of the auditorium and seated in the space between the stage and the first row of seats. Unfortunately this placed them in very close proximity to the make shift bomb. They sat shoulder to shoulder, many of them hugging or holding hands. The ones who had managed to get their emotions somewhat under control, or at least as under control as someone in their early teens could be in this kind of situation, were helping the ones who couldn't stop sobbing.

The teachers were helping as much as they could, speaking in firm but soothing voices, encouraging the students to take deep breaths and lean on one another. The 20:1 student to teacher ratio that had seemed ideal a few minutes before suddenly seemed woefully inadequate. Catherine knew that finding a way to keep the students calm was going to be an important part of bringing this situation to a successful resolution.

"You too," the leader indicated Catherine, "Get down there with the rest of them and put your phone in the box."

Catherine walked down the stairs and took her place with the rest of the auditorium's inhabitants. As she sat down the young teacher who had appeared to be having trouble controlling her students shot her a look of desperation.

"Just do what they say," Catherine said as calmly as she could. "Give the people outside a chance to figure out what to do."

It concerned her that the men wanted to deal with the personnel at Pearl-Hickam. Catherine had no idea what their issue with the base was, but she knew for an absolute fact that no one in the command structure would negotiate with these men. That just isn't the way it's done. She had no idea if they'd even consent to hear the men's demands.

She hoped that they would at least feign a willingness to hear out the grievances as a way to stall for time. To give Steve and the rest of the team a chance to devise a plan to get the hostages out unharmed.

Catherine knew without a doubt that no matter who these men wanted to deal with directly, the Five-0 team would ultimately be the ones to handle a rescue if it was required. Catherine's job would be to find a way to get them as much info as she could so they could formulate the most effective rescue plan possible.

She thought about Danny, and hoped that Grace had made it out safely. Catherine knew she'd been on the opposite end of the school when the shooting started and hoped that had given her an advantage. Danny and Steve would be beside themselves till they could find Grace and make sure she was safe. Catherine was a grown woman, trained to take care of herself and the people around her, but Grace was a little girl. Catherine sent up a quick prayer that Grace found her father and her uncle as quickly as possible.

Grace wasn't the only child of a team member who went to this school. Catherine remembered Lou Grover talking about his daughter, Samantha, being a student here. Catherine had only met the girl once. She knew Grover was having problems with the thought of his daughter growing up but from what Catherine could tell from their brief meeting she was just a normal teenager. Her eyes scanned the assembled students and her heart sunk as she took notice of the young lady sitting directly next to the gas canisters on the left hand side.

Samantha Grover.

* * *

**Danny's Car**

**12:15 P.M.**

"So what are you and Catherine up to tonight that she doesn't want you getting too smelly this afternoon," Danny asked as Steve drove towards the landfill in Kapolei.

"We're going to a photography exhibit."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"The artist is the wife of somebody she served with on the Enterprise."

"Still not seeing the problem."

"She only takes pictures of elbows and knees."

Danny barked with laughter. "Are you serious?"

"I wish I was kidding," Steve sighed.

"Elbows and knees? I just…why…."

"The name of the exhibit is 'A Joint Exploration'."

"Wow."

"When Catherine first mentioned it I thought it was….well let's just say I thought it was something different."

"I can imagine. You're sure it's not? Maybe Catherine is just messing with you about the elbows and knees."

"No such luck. I've seen the brochure. Apparently this is her first big exhibit and she's really nervous. Catherine wants to go and be supportive."

"How do you….I mean…..what constitutes supportive in a situation like this? What do you say to someone about their pictures of elbows and knees?"

"I have no idea. I'll just follow Catherine's lead. But I know one thing. It's gonna be a really long night."

"I'd feel bad for you if you hadn't been such a jerk about the walk on the beach thing," Danny grinned.

"Hey, I know. Maybe you can give Amber a call and you two can go to the exhibit with us."

"No, thanks," Danny laughed. "You're on your own on this one."

"Wanna know something?"

"Sure."

"I'm actually considering getting into a pile of garbage up to my hips this afternoon hoping I'll smell too bad and Catherine won't make me go."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"It might be worth a try, right?"

Suddenly the car was filled with a high pitched siren-like sound.

"What the hell is that?"

Danny grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "It's the ringtone I use for emergency announcements from Grace's school." He pressed the button and held the phone to his ear, listening to the recorded voice coming through the phone.

Before Danny could hear the entire message Steve's phone rang as well.

"Chin, what's going on?" he asked anxiously.

"There's an emergency at The Academy of the Sacred Heart. I don't know exactly what's happening yet but they want every law enforcement officer on the island at the scene ASAP."

Steve and Danny looked at each other, sheer panic written on both their faces, as Steve turned the car around and headed back towards Grace's school at top speed.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**12:30 P.M.**

Steve made the trip in record time. But even with lights and sirens he couldn't get the Camaro closer than half a mile away from the school. The road was clogged with emergency vehicles and terrified parents responding to desperate calls and texts from their frightened children.

Without hesitation they abandoned the Camaro and sprinted in on foot.

As they got closer to the school they frantically scanned the area for any sign of Grace or Catherine.

The parking lots, playground and surrounding area were filled with crying, panicked children and heroic staff trying their best to keep the students calm and get them moved to safety as quickly as possible. Resolute teachers were instructing the students to stay together and to move to the designated gathering area; the park just off school grounds.

They had performed this drill at least once a month throughout the last several school years. Even in the pandemonium that accompanied an actual emergency both students and staff found themselves automatically following the well-practiced procedures.

Every available staff member was pitching in to help. Teachers, janitorial staff, cafeteria workers, all doing their part to bring some small amount of order to a scene of utter chaos. Some stayed close to the building, at great risk to their own personal safety, making sure that every student exiting the structure could see a trusted adult, hoping that might help reduce the panic. Some headed directly to the park, accompanied by several HPD officers, to give comfort and support to the students as they made their way to safety.

At the request of the HPD, a large group of local firefighters formed a perimeter around the park. They understood the frantic parents who wanted nothing more than immediate access to their children but there were protocols in place for a situation like this for a reason. Every student needed to be accounted for before they could be released to a parent or guardian.

The HPD officers who remained on school grounds were fighting to gain control of the situation. They had called in every available officer on the island and were in the process of locking down the area immediately surrounding the school to secure the scene and push back against anyone trying to enter. Officers with bullhorns directed frantic parents to a pre-designated waiting area at the local firehouse, less than a block away from the school and park.

Danny knew that Grace's lunch period started right around noon, the time whatever happened had likely occurred, so he concentrated his search on the area at the far end of the school where the cafeteria was located. He tried to control his breathing and the rising feeling of panic. He knew he'd be no good to his daughter, or anyone else's child, if he let his emotions get the best of him.

Steve stayed closer to the front of the school on the theory that he and Danny could cover more ground if they split up. His eyes scanned the area again and again but there was no sign of either Grace or Catherine. He had just begun to think he was going to have to enter the school himself when he spotted Duke, standing at the bottom of the stairs directly outside the front door, issuing orders to the HPD personnel on scene.

"Duke, what's going on? Why the perimeter? Are we dealing with an active shooter?"

Steve cursed himself for being in such a hurry to get to the school that he had neglected to grab his tactical gear from the trunk of the Camaro. Not that it really mattered. He was fully prepared to enter the school with no vest and just his service weapon if needed.

"I'm afraid it's worse than that."

Steve's stomach dropped.

"What do you mean worse?"

"As soon as we arrived on scene we got officers into the building," Duke explained. "Lots of the kids were in the cafeteria so we managed to evacuate them immediately."

Steve breathed a small sigh of relief. Danny had said he was heading towards the cafeteria because Gracie should have been at lunch when the event occurred. If Duke's men had managed to evacuate the students from that area there was a good chance Gracie was safe.

Duke continued. "The fire alarm got pulled and most of the students exited the building. My team was doing a quick room to room. Everything looked good till they reached the auditorium."

"What?" Steve was growing more frantic. "Tell me, Duke."

"We've got somewhere between three and five perpetrators, heavily armed. They've got hostages. Students and staff. My men saw explosive devices and several large gas canisters. They threatened to shoot the hostages and detonate the explosives if we didn't back off. We had no choice."

"How many hostages?" Steve asked, half afraid to hear the answer.

"We're not sure. Dozens at least."

At that exact moment, as Steve was trying hard to process the information, he heard the unmistakable sound of Grace's voice yelling "Danno!"

His head turned and he watched as Danny crossed the parking lot in five strides and gathered a sobbing Grace into his arms. He held her as tight as he could, unable to say anything, or even think anything other than that she was safe.

"Are you ok?" he asked frantically as he pulled back and looked her over from head to toe for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine. I was just scared. Everybody was screaming and running and I got separated from Caryn. She's supposed to be my evacuation buddy but I couldn't find her."

"It's ok, Monkey. We'll find her. The important thing is that you're ok."

"Is there a fire? I was just sitting down with my tray when the fire alarm went off. But we heard all kinds of popping sounds too. And the teachers started telling us all to get out of the building and run to the park. I was trying to do that but I couldn't find Caryn and then I saw Miss Kelly, she's my gym teacher, and she was gathering a bunch of kids together so we could go to the park as a group….but then I saw you and…." Tears began to roll down Grace's cheeks.

"It's ok, Monkey. Everything is gonna be fine. Let's get you away from here." Danny grabbed her hand and began moving towards the outer perimeter of the school. He knew he would have to notify the school that he had Grace, but at this point he had no intention of letting her go to the park without him. All he could think of was getting her out of the area and out of harm's way.

After giving them a moment alone Steve caught up with the pair and wrapped Grace in a tight hug.

"You ok, Gracie?"

"I'm ok, Uncle Steve. But I don't understand what's going on."

"Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart. We're gonna get you out of here to somewhere safe. You let me worry about taking care of the bad guys."

"What's going on," Danny asked over Grace's head as Steve's eyes continued to scan the parking lot and surrounding areas. In the pit of his stomach he knew he wouldn't see her. She'd been coming to the school to do an assembly. There was no question where she would have been when the shooting started.

The auditorium.

"A group of anywhere from three to five men, armed to the teeth, holed up in the auditorium with hostages and some sort of explosive device attached to cyanide gas canisters." Steve spoke quietly, wanting to give Danny as much information as he could but at the same time not wanting to scare Grace.

A violent situation unfolding at their child's school was every parent's nightmare. But until that moment Danny had allowed himself to believe that perhaps it was _just _a fire. Or a boiler explosion. Or any other of a thousand possible accidents. He hadn't wanted to believe that someone had entered the school intending to do harm to anyone inside. Let alone a heavily armed group of someones.

As he was trying to get his mind around what was going on, and figure out his next move, Grace asked the question that neither Steve nor Danny had allowed themselves to ask out loud.

"Where's Catherine? I saw her for a few minutes on my way to lunch. She told me she'd give me a ride home after school and we could stop for shave ice."

Steve knelt down so he was on Gracie's level. "Where did you see Catherine?" He tried hard to keep the worry out of his voice.

"She was on her way to the auditorium. She was getting ready for the assembly."

He'd known the answer to the question before he'd even asked, but hearing it verbalized made it all too real. Steve dropped his head and took deep breaths in a desperate attempt to keep his composure.

Suddenly his thoughts were invaded by the sound of very angry yelling. He spun around and saw Captain Grover heatedly confronting Duke, who to his great credit was holding his ground against the much larger man.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's going on here?" Steve ran back towards Duke to try to lend a hand. Danny followed at a distance, never letting go of Grace's hand and not wanting her to get too close to the school in case something erupted.

"What's going on here is that my daughter is inside that school. Most likely inside that auditorium. And I am going in there to get her out," Grover growled. "So you can get out of my way or I can go through you. Either way is fine with me."

"You can't do that, Captain," Duke said as calmly as possible.

"The hell I can't," Grover pushed Duke aside. It took Steve plus three other HPD officers to hold Grover back.

"Listen to me, hey, listen to me," Steve got right in front of Grover and locked eyes with him. "You can't go barreling in there. You're going to get everybody, including your daughter, killed. We need a plan."

"_You_ may need a plan_. I_ need to get to my daughter."

"These men are heavily armed. They have a bomb rigged to cyanide gas canisters. You're not going to be able to just barge in there and get your daughter back," Steve argued. "Believe me, if I thought it would work I'd be right behind you on the way in."

"I can't just stand here and do nothing."

"I'm not saying stand here and do nothing. I'm saying let's take a little bit of time to get a handle on exactly what's going on, and what these guys want, so we can figure out the best way to get in there and get everyone out safely."

The father in Grover wanted to just disregard Steve's logic and head into the school but the experienced cop knew Steve was right. "Fine. But let's get moving."

Grace looked up at her father with wide, teary eyes. "Are the still people trapped inside with the bad guys? Are Catherine and Samantha in there?"

Danny did his best to never lie to Grace if it could be avoided. "Yes, Monkey, I'm afraid so."

Danny was torn. On the one hand he wanted to help Steve and the rest of the team. But his first responsibility was the safety of his daughter.

"Let's go, Grace," he finally said. "I'm gonna go to the park and find someone in charge, let them know I have you, then I'm gonna get you home."

"You can't go home, Danno. Uncle Steve needs you. You have to help find Catherine and Samantha."

"What?"

"You know _I'm_ fine so you can be happy. You need to help _them_ be happy too."

Danno smiled at the simple logic of his beautiful, big-hearted daughter. Always wanting everyone to be happy.

"Are you sure, Monkey? I want to stay here and help but….you have to know…there's nothing in the universe more important to me than you."

"I know that," she smiled. "But I also know that you're the best detective in the whole world and you can help Uncle Steve help all the people who haven't come out of the school yet. The people who love them deserve to have all the smartest people working on this case."

Danny knelt down and hugged his daughter tightly. "You're absolutely amazing, Monkey, you know that?"

She smiled in return. "So are you."

"Ok then, let's figure out a way to get you home and keep you safe and then I'll come back and help Uncle Steve and Captain Grover get their happy ending."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! **

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**1:00 P.M.**

"I think the people outside have had time to get themselves organized," the leader, who Catherine had heard the other men calling Barnes, said as he moved to stand in front of the group. "It's time to let them know what they need to do if they ever want to see any of you alive again."

Several of the students immediately began to cry at his words.

"Do you have to say things like that?" Catherine asked irritably.

"I don't believe in lying to people, even young people. It's only fair they know what will happen to them if the people on the outside make a calculation that they are expendable."

"You keep saying you want them to stay calm and quiet, Mr. Barnes," Catherine said as she rose to her feet, pulling herself up to her full height and looking him straight in the eyes. "Scaring them is not the best way to make them happen."

"It's just Barnes. Not Mr. Barnes. And your name is…."

"Catherine Rollins."

"I assume by the badge you have clipped to your waist band and the gun my associate took from you earlier that you're a police officer?"

"I'm a member of the Five-0 task force," Catherine said. She had no intention of revealing her history with the navy until she knew exactly what the group's beef was.

"How fortuitous you should be here on this of all days. I think you're going to come in very handy."

Catherine swallowed hard. She knew the man was trying to get inside her head and she wasn't going to let that happen. She had to stay focused on the safety of the hostages, especially the students, above everything else.

"Fine then, if you think I'll be helpful why not keep me and release the young people?"

"Now why would I do that," Barnes asked as his second in command moved in closer, cradling his arm and looking for any excuse to take another run at Catherine.

"They're too unpredictable. Plus the bigger the group the harder it is to control. You'd be much better off letting the children go."

"That's very noble of you, Ms. Rollins, but I don't think I'll be taking your advice. Now why don't you have a seat while my associates and I decide how to proceed."

Catherine cringed inwardly.

They had no plan.

They were making it up as they went along.

That was not good news.

She rejoined the group and motioned for one of the students to scoot down so she could take a seat next to Samantha Grover who was sitting quietly with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. At the same time she kept an eye on the hostage takers who were now huddling quietly to the right side of the stage, keeping a vigilant eye on both the hostages and the doors.

"Hi, Samantha," she said softly. "Do you remember me?"

"Yes, you work with my dad."

"That's right."

Catherine's heart clenched at the pure fear she saw in the young girl's eyes. She dropped her arm around Samantha's shoulders in an effort to offer some small amount of comfort.

"Are they gonna let us go," Samantha asked with a shaking voice.

"Yes, I think so."

"Really?"

She was desperate for any shred of something to hold on to.

"I do. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I know that your dad, and Steve, and the rest of the team, and the whole police force are gonna do everything they can to make sure we get out of here safe."

Samantha turned her head and looked nervously at the canisters. "But what if…."

"Don't think like that." Catherine grabbed Samantha's chin gently and turned her head away from the bomb. "There's not a whole lot you or I or anyone else inside this room can do to resolve this. But what we have to do is stay strong, and stay alive, and give the people outside a chance to work their magic."

"Okay. I'll try."

"That's a good girl."

"Alright, Ms. Rollins, you're about to prove your usefulness," Barnes said as he moved to the front of the stage apron while Tomas and Wilson moved off to either side, closer to the doors, ready to act if the police tried to breach the room.

"How?" Catherine stood up and faced him, determined not to show fear.

"I need to speak to Captain Richards, the head honcho over at the naval base. You're going to help me make that happen. "

"I'm not sure how. I have no influence with him. If you'd rather deal with my boss I can probably make that happen," Catherine said, trying to re-direct Barnes towards Steve. She had complete faith that Steve and the team could put together a plan to resolve the situation.

She had no such faith in the people at Pearl.

Not that they wouldn't be capable of planning and executing a rescue mission.

They would be. Of course.

But the reality is that they would be unwilling to do so.

Catherine understood that.

Anyone who had ever gone on an active duty mission understood that.

The U.S military could not negotiate with, or be seen as giving in to, terrorists, whether foreign or domestic. It would endanger every service member at home and abroad. If there was ever even a hint that the navy, or any branch of the service, was willing to give in to demands in order to secure the release of military or civilian personnel, hostage taking would become a national and international sport.

"No. Captain Richards is the only one who can give me what I want," Barnes insisted.

"Then I'm not sure how I can help."

"Your boss is the head of the Five-0 task force?"

"Yes."

"I assume he has some juice on this island then. Perhaps I can convince him to use his pull to get Captain Richards involved. I just need to give him the proper incentive. Sit back down, Ms. Rollins. Right where you were. I want to make sure your boss gets the full picture."

Barnes pulled out his phone, descended the steps and moved to stand in front of the hostages.

Catherine sat back down and squeezed Samantha's arm. "This is good news," she said softly. "Once your dad and Steve and the rest of the team find out what their demands are they can figure out how to get us out of here."

Just as he was about to snap the picture Barnes had a thought. "Bring me the box of phones, Tomas," he barked at his second in command. Once he got the box he held it out to Catherine.

"Get your phone out of the box, Ms. Rollins, and give it to me. Unlock it first. And don't try anything else because I will not hesitate to shoot you."

Catherine obeyed immediately. Not only because she had no other real choice but because it was important for the children to see the adults in the room comply with orders. Hopefully they would model the same behavior if the need arose.

She knew there might come a time when she would have to encourage the students to make a move against the men in an effort to help affect their own rescue, but until there was a plan in place she needed them to do as they were told and not antagonize the hostage takers.

Barnes took the phone, moved a few steps back to make sure he got everyone in the frame, then turned towards the group of people sitting on the floor, crowded around the makeshift explosive device. As he raised the camera he said, "Feel free to look scared. It might make them move a little faster."

Catherine made sure to hide her swollen wrist and tip her head down far enough that she hoped her split lip wouldn't show.

Barnes snapped the picture. "Excellent. You're all very photogenic. Which one of these people is your boss?" he asked Catherine as he scrolled through her contacts.

"Steve McGarrett."

Catherine knew that Steve had to be up to speed on what was happening by now. She needed to find a way to make sure he was looped in on everything so the navy couldn't stonewall him. Using her phone to text him directly was as good a plan as any.

The man opened up a text message to Steve and typed. _'I want to speak with Captain Richards. I assume you can arrange that. You've got one hour or bad things are going to happen.'_

He attached the picture and hit send.

"Get comfortable everyone, now we wait."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**1:00 P.M.**

Steve leaned against one of the squad cars being used to form a blockade around the school, arms crossed, posture seemingly relaxed, as HPD officers scrambled to put up the tents that would form the framework of a makeshift command post. The number one priority was an effective communication center. They needed to be able to not only reach the men in the auditorium, and establish good two-way communication with them, but also to maintain constant contact with all agencies and officers involved. Getting the hostages out safely was going to take the combined efforts of all available manpower.

As Steve stood watching the tables, chairs, laptops, monitors and all other manner of equipment being set up and tested he looked to any outside observer like a man without a care. Completely relaxed, calm and collected. But anyone who knew him well knew the deadly calm was a sign that he was laser focused on the mission at hand.

He was in assessment mode. As soon as he could get some information on exactly what was going on in the auditorium, and what the hostage taker's demands were, he would move immediately into planning mode.

His SEAL training allowed him to have almost complete control over his emotions in situations like this. Allowing doubt or fear about Catherine's safety, and that of all the other hostages as well, into his head was not going to help anything.

Quite the opposite.

If he was going to bring this situation to a successful conclusion he needed to keep his head clear. To make decisions based on experience and logic, not emotion.

"We need to stop playing around with tents and computers and make contact," Grover said angrily as he approached Steve. "Just give me a bullhorn and I'll take care of the rest."

"A bullhorn might allow you to talk to them but how are they going to talk back?" Steve said calmly.

"I'm assuming there are at least a couple dozen cell phones in that room. I'll just give them my number and tell them to call me."

"And if they don't?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Grover exploded. "If they have demands they have to make them known sometime!"

"And if they were prepared to do that at this point," Steve said, drawing himself up and standing face-to-face with the angry father, "they'd have done it already. Like you said, there are dozens of cell phones in that room. If they were ready to talk to us we'd know it."

"So who says we have to do things on their schedule," Grover argued, not backing down. "Why don't we take the initiative? Make them do things on our terms."

"Because they're the ones with a room full of hostages, automatic weapons, and a bomb that could kill everyone within 1000 yards in a matter of seconds," Steve yelled.

"So we…what…..stand around and wait?" Grover's emotions were, understandably, beginning to spiral. He was a man accustomed to taking action, to solving problems. Waiting, especially when his own flesh and blood was in harm's way, went against every instinct in his body. Yet deep down he knew it was the only way to proceed. Hasty action in situations like this too often proved deadly.

"The school's PA system has an emergency frequency that we should be able to tap into. At a minimum it will allow us to get a message to the people inside the auditorium. If we're lucky it may allow us to actually hear what's going on in there as well. " Steve kept his tone calm and measured.

"What about cell phones? Has anyone managed to get a message out?"

"Duke is in the process of talking to all the parents and loved ones of every unaccounted for person. Until we hear otherwise we have to assume all those people are hostages. So far no one has received a message but he's monitoring the situation. He'll let us know if something pops up. Have you tried your daughter?"

"Yes. About 100 times. Her phone is off."

"Catherine's too," Steve said.

"Wait…what did you say?"

"I said Catherine's phone is off too."

"Are you telling me you have an officer inside that room?"

"Yes. She was at the school to deliver a presentation on a career in law enforcement."

"And she just let them waltz in there and take over?" Grover fumed.

"She's one person," Steve's own anger began to rise. "There are at least three of them, maybe up to five, and they're armed with automatic weapons and a cyanide bomb. What did you expect her to do? She has her service weapon. And several dozen innocent bystanders."

"Still…."

Steve cut him off. "Still nothing."

Grover backed off. He liked Catherine, he really did. In the limited number of times they'd worked together he'd been impressed with her skills. Having her on the inside might turn out to be a good thing. But all this waiting made him feel helpless and that was not a feeling he handled well.

"What in the world could these people want?"

"I have no idea but we're gonna find out, and then we're gonna get everyone out of there safely."

"Damn straight." Grover would not allow his mind to consider any other possibility.

"Who's your best negotiator?" Steve asked as the officer setting up the communication system signaled it would be ready to go in two minutes.

"Me." Grover said without hesitation.

"Are you sure you're up to it under the circumstances?"

"I'm the _only _person I trust to handle things under the circumstances."

"Fine. I'm in no position to tell you to stand down. But if you start to make things worse..."

"I won't."

Danny could feel the tension between the two men as he approached the command center. "Anything new?" he asked.

"No," Steve answered flatly. "They're just about ready to put the PA system online then we can try to open a line of communication. Gracie ok?"

"She's still shaken up but she's doing fine. Better than me in fact."

"Are you sure you don't need to be with her," Steve asked. He hated the thought of dealing with this situation without Danny there to help but he also understood that being there for Grace, being a good dad, took precedence over everything else in Danny's life.

"Believe me….I was more than ready to take her home, lock us both inside the apartment and not come out for a week…..maybe longer. But Grace was having none of that. She told me I have to stay here and help make sure Catherine, Samantha and all the other hostages get out safe. She wants everyone to have a happy ending."

"I'm gonna do my best," Steve said.

"I made sure the school officials knew she was safe and accounted for then Kamekona picked her up. He said she could stay with him as long as needed."

"She ok with that?"

"Actually she wanted to stay here and help."

Steve smiled a small smile. "Sounds like her."

"I told her I wouldn't be able to do my job if I was worried about her so she needed to go with Kamekona. That way we can all concentrate on doing what we need to do here."

"We've finished tapping in to the PA system, Commander."

Steve turned towards the young officer who had been working diligently to open the line. "Thanks, now all we need…" he stopped mid-sentence and looked down at his buzzing phone.

"What is it?" Danny and Grover asked simultaneously.

"It's a text from Catherine."

Steve held out the phone and all three men looked at the screen as he opened the message and found the picture Barnes had taken of the hostages. Grover's eyes were drawn immediately to his daughter while Steve breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a seemingly unharmed Catherine.

Danny read aloud.

'_I want to speak with Captain Richards. I assume you can arrange that. You've got one hour or bad things are going to happen'._

"Who's Captain Richards," Grover asked.

"He's the head man over at Pearl-Hickam," Steve answered, his mind spinning with the possibilities of what this could be about.

"What in the world does this guy want with _him_?"

"I have no idea."

"They won't negotiate with hostage takers," Grover said, fighting to keep the panicked edge out of his voice. "Will Richards even be willing to talk to him?"

"No," Steve said somberly. "Which means this situation just got a whole lot more complicated."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**1:20 P.M.**

Once the text was sent many of the students began to fidget nervously and stare at the clock in the back of the room. It was as if they now felt there was a timer running, and it made them very uncomfortable. Catherine was confident Steve would do whatever he could to get someone for Barnes to talk to, but she was certain it wouldn't be Captain Richards. She had no idea how Barnes would react to someone other than the man he requested, but she felt sure Steve would come up with a plan. All she could do now was stay ready to help in any way possible.

"Can I ask you a question?" Samantha asked softly.

"Sure."

"Have you ever been involved in something like this before? I mean as a cop…or before that in the navy…have you ever seen something like this end well?"

"Listen to me, Samantha, you have to stay positive. You have to have faith that everyone out there is working hard and doing everything they can to get us out of here safely. We owe it to them to be ready for whatever happens."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, sweetheart, what you're feeling is completely understandable. You just need to fight against the fear and stay strong."

"I'll try. I promise."

"Just think of the story we're gonna have to tell everyone when we get out of here."

Samantha managed a small smile.

"Enough talking," Barnes yelled in their direction. "Just sit quietly and wait to see if Captain Richards values your lives."

Catherine smiled reassuringly at Samantha then leaned her head back against the stage, swallowed hard, and gave in to the memories she'd been fighting off since the moment the gunmen entered the auditorium.

_Flashback_

_Catherine stood at the window of the temporary command center in Kabul, staring out the window and waiting for the arrival of an officer who would tell her why she had been summoned off the Enterprise for yet another TAD assignment. She turned when she heard the door behind her open._

"_Lt. Rollins, how nice to see you again." _

"_Sir," Catherine snapped to attention. _

"_At ease, Lieutenant. Have a seat. You must be tired after your flight."_

"_I'm fine, Sir." _

"_Sit." Commander Franklin indicated the visitor's chairs as he sat behind his desk and opened a thick manila folder. "I guess you're wondering what you're doing here."_

"_To be honest I am a little curious," Catherine admitted. It was early March, just a few weeks after her leave in Hawaii and a matter of days since Steve had finished up his reserve drill on the Enterprise, when she had gotten word to report to Commander Franklin immediately for further instructions._

"_The lack of warning was unavoidable. I need someone to step in on a mission in progress and being as you've had some success with similar missions in the past you came highly recommended. I'm sorry to pull you away from your team but I need someone who can hit the ground running."_

"_Of course, Sir."_

"_We have a situation at a small school on the southern edge of the Kabul. The school leaders have been allowing girls to attend. They managed to keep it quiet for a while but they've garnered the attention of the Taliban and tensions are rising. The people we have on the ground are, unfortunately, in over their heads._

_Lt. Commander Stiles told me you had a great deal of success on your last TAD helping defuse a somewhat similar situation. The need here may be even more urgent. I need you on the ground ASAP. We're getting a lot of good intel out of the townspeople here and we want to avoid an attack."_

"_Of course, Sir. I'll do what I can." During her three tours in Kabul, Catherine had spent a lot of time liaising with local schools. As much as she disliked putting townspeople at risk she had a job to do. And oftentimes the people who ran the schools, especially the schools that chose to defy the Taliban by educating girls and young women, were willing to provide information to the Americans as a tradeoff for training of local security forces._

"_I'm sorry to drop you into this mission already in progress but I have no choice. You can read the file on the plane in and I'll have someone meet you on the ground to brief as soon as you land."_

"_Thank you, Sir. I'll do my best."_

"_I'm sure you will," Commander Franklin said._

Catherine opened her eyes with a start when she heard Barnes addressing her.

"Only 15 minutes left, Ms. Rollins. Maybe your boss doesn't have the pull I thought he had. Perhaps he needs a little more….incentive." Barnes pointed his gun at the head of Principal Fiske.

"You said an hour," Catherine fought to keep her voice even. "If you do something stupid before the time is up you're just begging for them to storm this room."

"You better hope that doesn't happen," Barnes said as he lowered his gun to his side. "Because if it does you all die."

"_We _all die," Catherine corrected him. "You and your men included. That won't do much to help with whatever you want to talk to Captain Richards about."

"Touché'," Barnes conceded. "So we continue to wait a little longer. But I'm going to start thinking about who I shoot first just in case your boss doesn't come through."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**1:30 PM**

Three men in fatigues crossed the parking lot purposefully and approached Steve. None of them was Captain Richards. But Steve expected that.

No matter the situation, no matter how many lives are at stake, no matter the age of the people being held, the U.S. Navy, like the U.S. government, does not negotiate with hostage takers.

No exceptions.

Still, Steve had called the base, used his connections to get as far up the chain of command as possible, then explained the situation and the urgent need for an immediate response being as they were on a one hour clock.

He wasn't at all surprised by the reaction of the people he spoke to. His military experience had prepared him for exactly what he would hear. Grover, however, did not take the news nearly as stoically. Once Steve let him know that Captain Richards would not be communicating with the men in the auditorium in any way, the SWAT Captain had been in favor of attempting to start a dialogue on their own.

After a lot of back and forth, Steve and Danny managed to talk him out of it. There was no point in starting off on the wrong foot. The hostage takers might not be able to talk to Richards personally, but hopefully they were smart enough to have realized that was always a longshot.

Whatever their issue was it clearly involved the military so it was best they be allowed to talk to military personnel.

"Commander McGarrett?" the oldest of the three men who the brass at the base had obviously tasked to handle the situation asked.

"Yes."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Fernandez. This is Ensign Rogers and Lieutenant Finn. Captain Richards sent us over to see if there's anything we can do to help get this situation resolved."

Steve did a quick assessment of Lieutenant Commander Fernandez. He was the highest ranking of the three, so would most likely be making all the decisions. He appeared to be in his mid-40s, short but muscular. His stiff stride and rigid stance went beyond typical military bearing and indicated that the man was tightly wound.

Steve had dealt with soldiers like him throughout the course of his military career. He was going to recite military regulations at every turn, stonewall when it came to giving out any information, and refuse to consider any solution that wasn't precisely by the book.

Which was why Steve immediately started working on a plan to get around Lt. Commander Fernandez.

"What you can do is get him over here himself."

Steve knew it wasn't going to happen but he had to try. He also had to let Fernandez know from the outset that he, the members of his team, the SWAT officers, and all the HPD personnel on scene, were not willing to defer to the navy men and their 'no negotiation' strategy.

They planned to do whatever it took to get the hostages out of that auditorium safely. If it meant putting themselves on the wrong side of the navy that was just something that would have to be dealt with later.

After the hostages were safe.

"I'm sure you understand, Commander, why that isn't going to be possible."

"I don't understand at all," Steve said angrily. "There are hostages in there. Children. I'm not asking the Captain to give them what they're asking for. Just to not antagonize them right out of the gate."

"You're going to have to make do with me," Fernandez said firmly. "I'll be keeping Captain Richards apprised of what's going on but he won't be having any direct involvement. These men will have to deal with me or with no one."

"You better hope this doesn't end up costing any of the hostages their lives," Steve growled menacingly.

"Give me fifteen minutes to get organized and we'll be ready to attempt first contact. May I see the text they sent?"

Steve checked the time then handed over his phone. "We've managed to tap in to the PA system so you can use that to send your first message. There's a button on the wall in the auditorium that would allow them to open up the line and talk back. If you can get them to do that we'll be able to hear what's going on in the room."

"I'll keep that in mind. Though I prefer to communicate through my own electronic set-up." Fernandez indicated the equipment the two ensigns were currently plugging into the system HPD had wired earlier. "There are certain policies in place for how to handle issues such as this when they arise. Using secured channels helps ensure those policies are not breached. We'll see how it goes though."

Fernandez turned to talk to his men. Steve turned his back to try to get his anger under control.

"I knew it," he snarled as he clenched his fists. "They're gonna take a hard line. No wiggle room at all. The best we can hope for is we use them to open a line of communication and hopefully stall for time while we figure out who we're dealing with. Whatever we decide in the end, we're most likely gonna have to move forward with no help from the navy."

"Then that's what we'll do," Danny said confidently as Chin approached the group.

"I got here as soon as I could. Kono headed back to headquarters to handle things from there. As soon as we get anything on the identity of these guys, or what they're after, we can start doing our own research.

"Thanks, Chin," Steve said.

Grover's fear of how the hostage takers would react when they were contacted by someone other than Captain Richards began to get the best of him and he lashed out. "Well all I can say is that whatever's going on in there, I hope your girlfriend can handle it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Despite his best intentions Steve rose immediately to the bait.

"It means that my daughter is in that room and I need to know the people in there with her are going to be able to keep their heads and keep her safe and not make a bad situation worse. I hope your girlfriend fits that bill."

"For your information," Steve began, his voice holding a deadly edge, "Catherine is a highly trained and decorated naval officer. She's an Annapolis grad, she served three tours in Kabul, she an intelligence specialist, and she handles pressure situations as well as anyone I've ever met."

"Is that the assessment of her boss or her boyfriend?"

"You know what…" Steve exploded, getting right up in Grover's face.

"No…..but I do," Danny said as he stepped between the two men. "Steve, you go for a little cool down walk with Chin. They said 15 more minutes till they're ready to go so you have some time to burn off a little energy."

"You know what….fine….we'll finish this later," Steve said as he turned and stalked off. Chin jogged to catch up with him.

"You listen to me," Danny said sharply as he turned to face Grover. "I'm willing to give you a certain amount of latitude considering your daughter is in that auditorium. But only a certain amount. You know Catherine. You've seen her in action. Where do you get off questioning her abilities like that? And to Steve of all people."

"Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut."

"This isn't about keeping your mouth shut. This is about the fact that what you said was dead wrong. It's about understanding that all of us want to get the hostages out safely. It's about how we need to work together. To trust each other. Steve is as invested in their safe release as you are."

"I know." Grover clenched and unclenched his fists. "I'm not even sure why I said that. It's like my mind was saying no but my mouth wouldn't listen."

"You're under a lot of stress"

"That's no excuse. I just hate this feeling. I feel….. helpless," Grover admitted with a vulnerability Danny had never seen in him before.

"I know that. It's understandable. But I also know that the quickest way to bring this thing to a close and get those people, your daughter included, out of there safely, involves you and Steve working together. You can think whatever you want to think about him personally, but if that was my daughter in there, aside from me, he's the one I'd most want working to get her out unharmed."

Grover nodded. "I know. You're right."

"That having been said….listen to me…..if Steve is number one on the list of people I'd want looking out for Grace if I couldn't be there, then Catherine is #1a."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. All those things he said about her are true. And then some. She is every bit as single minded and focused as Steve when she needs to be. Trust me; she isn't cowering in a corner in there waiting to be rescued."

"I guess I owe him an apology."

"Save it for once this is all over. And one more thing. Catherine has never been handed anything, including her job at Five-0, just because she's Steve's girlfriend. She's earned everything. We're lucky to have her. "

"Ok."

"I have no idea what's going on in that room, but one thing I know for sure, Catherine is doing everything humanly possible to keep everyone safe until we can figure out a rescue plan."


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my goodness, you guys! Thanks for all the reviews and the funny PMs. I've never read so many politely worded demands to post faster in my life. **

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**1:45 PM**

Danny found Steve leaning against a tree about 50 yards from the command center, head down, arms crossed over his chest.

Chin was standing directly in front of him.

Neither of them was saying a word.

"They said they should be ready to make first contact in 5 minutes," Danny said as he reached them. He cast a sideways glance and raised his eyebrows while indicating Steve with a slight tilt of his head.

Chin shrugged.

"Thanks, Danny," Steve said without looking up.

"Listen, Steve, I set Grover straight….there's no excuse for the things he said about Catherine….but you have to give him a break too. His daughter is in that room."

"I know."

"You…..I mean….I'm not trying to compare the two situations here….but at least you know Catherine is capable of taking care of herself. Grover thinks taking care of Samantha is his job."

"You're right."

Steve's silence and immediate acquiescence made Danny uneasy. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on inside his partner's head.

"Why'd you let him get under your skin? This is hardly the first time you've heard someone say something like that about Catherine. She never lets it bother her and you usually don't let it bother you."

Steve took a deep breath and blew it out. Since the second he realized there was a problem inside the school, and that Catherine was in the middle of it, he had been trying hard to fight off the memories of the mission she still occasionally had bad dreams about.

He hadn't been there in person of course, but he'd had a front row seat to the aftermath. Even almost 2 years later he still found her sitting on the beach at two in the morning, staring at the ocean, reliving the entire mission, at least once a month.

But it wasn't his story to tell, and even if it was this wasn't the time.

"I don't know. I won't let it happen again."

Chin and Danny exchanged concerned looks.

"Ok," Danny said, "let's get back. They should be ready to go by now."

As Steve walked back towards the command center he pushed all thoughts of the mission in Kabul out of his mind. He knew Catherine was mentally strong. He knew she'd find a way to put the memories aside and focus on the task at hand. He needed to do the same.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**1:50 P.M.**

"What happens if they don't hear anything by the deadline," the student to Catherine's right asked. "Are they going to shoot us all?"

She grasped the girl's hand firmly."No one is getting shot today," she said confidently.

"I hope you're right."

"I am," Catherine smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She avoided looking at the clock in the back of the room as much as possible. She wanted to project an air of calm and confidence to the other hostages.

She had no doubt Steve would have a Plan B in case the Navy chose not to provide anyone for Barnes to talk to. She hoped the hostage takers had prepared a Plan B of their own for what would happen if they couldn't talk to Captain Richards directly. All she could do was hope for the best and try to keep Barnes as calm as possible if things started to go sideways.

She was painfully aware that disorganization and chaos could be devastating in circumstances like this one.

_Flashback_

_Once Catherine was on the ground in Kabul she realized the situation was far worse than she had been led to believe. She wasn't sure if Commander Franklin even realized how bad things were._

_On the first day she visited the school, the teachers who arrived early to make sure the building was safe for the students found that the water supply had been poisoned. Luckily, because of daily testing, it was discovered before anyone was injured, but it was a close call and a clear sign that the local security forces, who her predecessor had assured his superiors were guarding the school in the overnight hours, weren't doing their job. She had no idea if they'd even been properly vetted to make sure none of them were Taliban members. She knew one thing for sure; whatever faction had attempted the poisoning wouldn't stop due to one failure._

_She met with the woman in charge of the school, Badrai Abdali, and quickly put a plan in place to help protect the school around the clock as much as possible. She obtained the names of all the local men who had been working as security and began checking their backgrounds for any radical involvement. As they talked, she began to wonder what the team on the ground had been doing in the previous months. Their intel gathering was rather blatant and bound to draw the attention of the Taliban, yet they had taken no serious measures to ensure the safety and security of the students and staff._

_It was always a balancing act in situations like this. Of course they wanted to gather the intel, that was the mission. But at the same time they had to be very careful not to expose the locals to additional danger and scrutiny. Not only while they were still on the ground and could provide a measure of protection, but more importantly after they were gone and the townspeople were left to fend for themselves._

"_Has Lieutenant Vincent not suggested any of these things before," Catherine asked._

"_We've discussed general things that could be done but never specifics," Badrai explained._

"_I'd like to put stricter measures in place as soon as possible. I'll meet with the team tonight and I'll have a specific plan of action for you tomorrow morning."_

"_Thank you, Lieutenant Rollins. I appreciate your help. My students and staff do as well."_

Catherine was broken out of her reverie by a voice booming over the PA system into the auditorium.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Fernandez from the Joint Base at Pearl-Hickam. "

"What the hell? That's not Richards," Tomas, growled angrily. "What are they trying to pull?"

"Shut up!" Barnes yelled.

"I'm here to help find a way out of this situation. I want everyone to walk out of there unharmed. But to make sure that happens we need to talk. I need to know who you are and what you want. I'm going to call you on the phone you used to text Commander McGarrett. Please answer it so we can open a dialogue."

"I'm telling you this is a trick," Tomas said angrily. "Let's start sending out some bodies so they can see we mean business."

"I told you to shut up," Barnes snarled as Catherine's phone began to buzz.

He thought for a second then answered it.

"I said I wanted to talk with Captain Richards. Do I have to kill a few of these hostages to let you know I'm serious?"

"Captain Richards is unavailable at this time. I assure you that I am authorized to deal with this matter on his behalf."

Barnes fumed.

He had specifically asked to talk to Captain Richards mostly because he was sure it would take an order straight from the top to get him the information he was looking for.

He was tempted to hang up but he knew that the longer they stayed in there with the hostages the more likely the police would get nervous and storm the room. He couldn't let that happen until he got the information he had come for.

He decided that dealing with Fernandez was better than nothing.

"You better be as powerful as you say you are, Lieutenant Commander Fernandez, because if you're not you're gonna have a lot of dead people on your conscience."

"I'm willing to listen to what you have to say," Fernandez said calmly, "But first I need some proof that the hostages are unharmed."

"You seem to be confused. You're not the one calling the shots here."

"I'm trying to help you, but I need something in return. The Captain is not going to listen to anything you have to say without a show of good faith on your part."

"I'll get back to you," Barnes growled before disconnecting the call.

"I say we toss out a few bodies to show them we're serious," Tomas said menacingly. "Starting with her." He pointed his gun at Catherine.

"Then they'll come in here guns blazing and we'll all die," Barnes pointed out. "Which isn't gonna get us what we want, what we came all the way here for, what we did all this for, now is it?"

"They said they wanted a show of good faith. Send the students out," Catherine suggested from her spot on the floor where she'd been listening to the back and forth. "Prove to them you're serious and they'll be much more likely to hear your demands."

"What makes you such an expert on the topic, Ms. Rollins?"

Catherine decided it was time to reveal her Navy background. She hoped that by doing so she could convince Barnes she had inside knowledge of how the Navy handled these types of situations. If she could get him to trust what she was telling him she might be able to keep him calm and get him to agree to free more hostages.

"I served 17 years in the Navy, most of them in Naval Intelligence. I know how these situations are handled."

"Is that so?" the leader eyed her appraisingly.

"Yes."

"Yet you chose to hide that information from me earlier when I mentioned wanting to speak with Captain Richards."

"I don't know Captain Richards personally. I only know the Navy protocols and procedures for situations like this. They won't give you anything unless you give them something first. It doesn't matter what kind of threats you make."

Barnes eyed her warily. "You better hope you're right."

"I am."

"Fine." he pointed at some of the students sitting near the outside of the group, farthest away from the canisters. "You….2,3,4….he continued to count silently….10. Stand up."

The students stood hesitantly, clinging to each other and looking questioningly at their teacher and principal.

"Do as they say," Principal Fiske urged them.

"Wilson, come here," Barnes indicated the third hostage taker who had been relatively quiet through the entire ordeal. "You're going to escort these children to the front door and release them."

As Barnes, Tomas and Wilson huddled together discussing the best way to handle the hostage release Catherine knelt down beside one of the girls and, while pretending to tie her shoe, whispered "Once you get outside you need to find Commander McGarrett and give him this message."

* * *

Five minutes after the call ended there was a flurry of activity at the front door of the school. Steve watched anxiously as ten students, ranging in age he guessed from about thirteen to fifteen, emerged from the building and moved down the stairs towards the SWAT officers in front of them. The officers quickly put themselves between the students and any potential gunmen and moved them to safety.

Grover studied the faces hopefully but none was Samantha's. Still, he was heartened that the men had actually released hostages unharmed.

"That's a good sign," he said. "Don't you think?"

"Definitely," Danny agreed enthusiastically.

"But now they're gonna expect something in return," Chin pointed out.

"All I said was that I would hear their demands. No more," Fernandez said. "I want to be clear that there will be no negotiation. Depending on the demands, this may not go any farther than the next phone call."

"You listen to me," Steve said angrily. "I don't care what you have to do, what lies you have to tell, or what regulations you have to break, but you better find a way to stall until we figure out who we're dealing with and what they want so we can come up with a plan to get every one of the remaining hostages out of that auditorium safely."

"I have my orders," Fernandez said, not backing down in the least.

Before he could say another word the phone in his hand rang. The caller ID showed Catherine's number.

Steve shot him a glare as he answered.

"Fernandez."

"I did my part, now you do yours," Barnes demanded.

Chin motioned for Steve, Danny and Grover to join him right outside the tent. He pressed the speaker button on his phone and suddenly they could hear everything being said between Barnes and Fernandez.

"Our phones are all connected," he explained. "I had Kono tap into yours and send the audio to mine."

"Thank you," Steve said sincerely as they all listened carefully.

"I appreciate you releasing the hostages. No one needs to get hurt here. I need you to tell me a few things." Fernandez tried to keep his voice even. "Why don't we start with your name?"

"My name is of no consequence."

"What should I call you?"

"Impatient," Barnes said testily. "I did something for you, now you're going to do something for me. Or the next hostages that come out aren't going to be in quite as good a condition."

Fernandez shot a glance at Steve then continued.

"What is it you want?"

"I want to know the whereabouts of Leon Kimble."

"And why would I be able to help you with that?"

"He was arrested by the Navy nine months ago in Afghanistan. He hasn't been seen or heard from since. I want to know where he is and why he's being held. I want to talk to him. I want him released."

"I'm not familiar with the man you're talking about," Fernandez said honestly. "You need to give me some time to see what I can find out."

He looked at Steve who shot him an approving look and made the stretch sign with his hands.

"You have one hour."

"Wait. That won't be enough time. I'm going to have to cut through a lot of red tape. I need at least three hours."

"Two. And not a minute more."

Without any further words the phone went dead.

"Do you know who this guy is he's talking about?" Steve asked.

"I have no idea. I don't think I've ever heard the name before."

"I'll call Kono and see what she can get on Leon Kimble," Chin said. "But if he was arrested overseas we're not likely to be able to get much information about where he is now."

"Have her get everything she can on known associates first. I doubt this is his first time on the wrong side of the law….check for a record and anyone he might have been arrested with. Check his work history and see if there's anyone he was close to there. Oh…..and shake his family tree…see what falls out," Danny said.

"Are you going to see if Captain Richards knows anything about this Leon Kimble," Grover asked Fernandez.

"It would be useless. There's no way the Navy is going to authorize any release of information."

Grover took a few steps until he was standing right in front of Fernandez, looming over him. "Now how do you know that for sure until you try?"

"I know the regulations." Fernandez did his best to hold his ground.

"I'm not asking you to give the information to the men in there. I'm asking you to give it to me," Grover growled.

Fernandez took a deep breath, blew it out, then stepped away and dialed his cell phone.

"Steve," Duke said as he approached the command center, leading a woman with her arm around a shaking teenage girl. The woman, obviously the girl's mother, was dressed in workout clothes. Steve supposed she must have gotten the news about the emergency when she at the gym and didn't take time to change. The young girl was clinging to her mother but had a determined look on her face.

"Can I help you with something?"

"This young lady has a message for you," Duke said.

"For me?"

The girl nodded. "Ms. Rollins said I should give the message to you and only you."

Steve looked at Danny and smiled then turned back to the girl. "What's your name?"

"Casey."

"Ok, Casey. What's the message?"

"Ms. Rollins wanted me to find you and tell you….." Casey faltered as the reality of what had happened to her in the last few hours began to sink in.

"It's ok," Steve said softly. "Take a deep breath. Try to remember what Ms. Rollins told you."

The girl visibly relaxed at Steve's soothing tone.

"Four men. Barnes, Tomas, Wilson. AK-47s. Cyanide bomb. Electronic detonator and…

"And?"

"There was one more thing but I can't remember," the girl began to cry.

"It's ok. You're doing great."

The girl screwed up her face with concentration. "Oh yeah….one of the bad men has a broken collarbone."

Steve couldn't help but smile. 'That's my girl' he thought.

"Thank you, Casey. You did a really good job. Can I ask you a question before your mom takes you home?"

She nodded her head.

"Are all the other people in the auditorium ok? Is anyone hurt?"

"Some of the kids have some bruises or cuts from falling down but everyone is pretty much ok. Ms. Rollins had a big bruise on her arm and a bloody lip but she's ok too. She's been talking to the bad men trying to make sure they don't hurt anyone."

Danny caught Grover's eye and gave him a knowing look.

"You've been a big help, Casey. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Casey said. "Some of my class is still in there."

"I know. We're gonna do our best to make sure everyone else gets out safe," Steve assured her.

As Duke led Casey and her mother away Steve turned to Grover, Danny and Chin.

"Chin, call Kono. Have her start cross-checking the names Barnes, Tomas and Wilson against known associates for Leon Kimble."

"I'm on it."

"Lou, have your best bomb techs ready. If we can find out who these guys are we may be able to figure out what kind of explosive devices they've used in the past."

"Consider it done," Grover said as he pulled out his phone.

"Until we know more about the bomb we have to stall. Even if we could neutralize the guns that bomb would take out everyone in the room before we could get through the door," Steve said. "We have to give Catherine a chance to get more info."

"You knew if we could get a hostage release she'd find a way to get information out, didn't you," Danny asked.

"There was never a doubt in my mind," Steve smiled.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**3:30 PM**

"Any word from Fernandez yet?" Danny said as he approached Steve who was standing next to an HPD cruiser tapping away on a laptop perched on its roof.

"Not yet."

"Where'd you get the laptop?"

"It's Catherine's. I got it out of her car. I figured the more people we have looking for info on Kimble and his associates the better."

"Excellent idea."

"Since Catherine is still in the reserves, and her security clearance is current, she has access to some old Navy records. These are all from well before his arrest but it can't hurt to check and see if he had any contact with the Navy previously."

"How did you get in to those records?"

"I logged in under Catherine's name." Steve never took his eyes off the screen

"You know her password? What am I saying..of course you know her password. But wait…isn't this…I don't know….illegal?"

Steve shot Danny an incredulous look.

"You think I care about legality if it helps us get Catherine and the others out of there safely?"

Danny nodded. "Of course not."

"Did Chin or Kono find anything?" Steve asked as he turned his attention back to the screen.

"Not yet…but they're contacting everyone they can think of who might have info and calling in every favor any of us has ever been owed."

"Good."

"Have you thought about calling Joe?"

"I tried. He isn't picking up. I left a message though."

"I'm sure he'll get back to you as soon as he can."

"Hopefully by the time he does we'll have them all out safely."

"Hopefully."

"We've got something," Chin said excitedly as he approached Danny and Steve, phone held firmly to his ear. "A possible identification on one of the hostage takers. Leon Kimble worked for a number of years as a legitimate civilian military contractor in the Gulf. Two years ago he was fired when his employer suspected he was selling information to the Taliban. There was another man fired at the same time. His name was Frank Barnaletti, whose listed nickname is Barnes."

"Great work," Steve said excitedly. "Let's get everything we can on this guy. Talk to anyone who knows him or ever knew him. See if we can get details on exactly what he was doing in the Gulf prior to being fired. Especially anything that has to do with bomb making or explosives. If this guy has a signature I want to know it. I want to know everything I possibly can about what makes him tick."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**3:05 P.M.**

Catherine knew that if there was any chance of getting the rest of the hostages out safely she had to get a closer look at the detonator switch Barnes was holding in his hand and somehow get that information out to the team.

She stood up and took a tentative step towards him.

"What can I do for you Ms. Rollins? Or do prefer to be addressed by your rank."

I'm retired. Ms. Rollins is fine."

"But just for my own curiosity, what was your rank?"

"Lieutenant."

"So what can I do for you Lieutenant Rollins?"

"It's what I might be able to do for you," Catherine said as she moved closer. "Like I said, I know how these situations work. I can help you get what you want."

Catherine cast her eyes downward under the guise of being deferential but what she was really doing was studying the detonator switch. It was crudely built. And of the type she'd seen on a number of previous occasions. Most notably in Afghanistan being used by private military contractors. She wondered if that's where Barnes, or whichever one his group built the detonator, had learned his technique.

If these men were former, or even current, private military contractors, there was no telling what their friend might have gotten involved in that led to his arrest. If he had been a private contractor, and if his work in the Gulf had anything to do with his arrest, Catherine was absolutely sure the Navy, or the U.S. government for that matter, would never authorize the release of any information about him.

"Unless you have a way to locate Leon Kimble and bring him here immediately I very much doubt that you can be of any help to me. Now take your seat."

Catherine sat back down and glanced at the clock. She had a little less than an hour to come up with a plan to convince Barnes to release another group of hostages so she could send another message out to Steve.

She now felt confident she knew what kind of detonator was being used; she needed just a little more time to determine the frequency. With that information it would be much easier for the team to craft a plan to breach the building.

She knew the situation would have to be handled with extreme care, oftentimes the bulk of the casualties in a situation like this came during the rescue attempt. Her heart clenched with a familiar pain.

_Flashback_

_During her first week on scene Catherine implemented a full slate of security measures. She worked with the local security forces that were tasked with guarding the school against bombs or gas attacks. She helped the schools leaders implement stricter, more up-to-date water and air testing to be performed multiple times daily. The members of the team on the ground seemed to step up once they had some solid leadership._

_Still, Catherine didn't feel good about the situation. _

_One morning, 8 days after she arrived, she got a frantic call to get to the school ASAP. She was met half a mile away by the school's principal, Badrai Abdali. She told Catherine that a man had stormed the school as the students were arriving. He was armed with explosives. He wasn't a member of the Taliban; he was the older brother of one of the 12 year old female students. Irate that she was refusing to marry the 50 year old man her family had betrothed her to in a strictly financial arrangement._

_By the time Catherine and her team reached the school the man had barricaded himself and many of the students and staff inside. There was a crude makeshift bomb blocking the only door into the front of the facility. Within minutes the team's young bomb tech, Ensign Jackson, defused it and the team entered the school. Catherine directed two of the team members to begin clearing the frightened students and staff out of the classrooms while she and the remaining two searched for the bomber. _

_Working systematically they cleared the three front rooms of the school and managed to free 117 students and 4 staff members. The only room left to clear was the large room in back that was used as a gymnasium and auditorium. As the team members entered the gym they could see a group of nine students, all female, huddled against the back wall with terrified looks on their faces. Standing in front of them was the brother of one of the girls. As the team entered and called to him to stand down he detonated the bomb._

_The blast blew out the back wall of the building. All nine girls, plus the bomber, died instantly. The force of the blast threw Catherine and her team against the front wall of the gymnasium, dazed, cut up slightly by flying debris, but mostly unharmed. _

_At least physically._

Catherine shook herself out of her thoughts.

That was another time and another place.

She was going to do everything in her power to guarantee there was no repeat today. There was no way to change what happened at that school on that day but she could certainly do her best to make sure it didn't happen at this one.

The best chance they had was to jam the signal on the detonator. Catherine had seen it done many times in Afghanistan. Because of the unsophisticated nature of the detonators they could be foiled fairly easily. The trick was to get the frequency right.

If she got it wrong and Barnes pushed the button the canisters would explode for sure.

She knew the Navy had the blocking technology at their fingertips and she hoped they'd be able to provide at least that much to help bring this to a peaceful end.

"Listen, Mr. Barnes…" she started, standing up with a renewed determination.

"It's just Barnes."

"Ok, Barnes. These students haven't had lunch yet. Would it be possible for you to try to arrange for some pizzas?"

"It hasn't been that long," Barnes said dismissively

"They're teenagers. They're used to eating every hour on the hour. It'd go a long way towards getting you what you want if you show Lieutenant Commander Fernandez you're treating the hostages well. Why not send a couple of them out with a pizza order?"

"I'm not releasing 10 more, Ms. Rollins, if that's what you're after."

"Fine. Two then." She moved to the side of the teacher she had noted earlier was very pregnant. She knew the woman had to be uncomfortable sitting on the floor.

"I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

"Carly. Carly van der Himmel."

She turned back towards Barnes. "Mrs. van der Himmel is due to give birth any day. The last thing you need is her going in to labor right now. So why not send her and one of her students?"

Barnes considered the situation. He hadn't planned on giving up another hostage until he had gotten the information he was looking for but the last thing he needed was a woman in labor. And if pizza was going to keep everyone quiet while they waited he guessed it was worth releasing 2 more. That still left him with 49 students and 4 adults to use as leverage.

"Fine. But just two."

"Excellent. Thank you. Maybe you should call out and tell them what we want and that you're releasing two more people. What do we want? Pizza? Cheese and maybe pepperoni?"

"Who's in charge here, Lt. Rollins," Barnes asked sarcastically.

"I'm just trying to make sure everyone gets out of this unhurt," Catherine said sincerely. "You and your men included," she lied.

When Barnes picked up the phone to call Fernandez, Catherine took the opportunity to pass along a message for Steve to Mrs. van der Himmel.

"My associate will take the two of you out," Barnes said after he hung up the phone. "Tell Lieutenant Commander Fernandez he has 45 minutes. After that I become much harder to get along with."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**3:20 PM**

As soon as Fernandez received word two more hostages would be coming out Steve trained his eyes on the school's front door.

Once again the SWAT team members swooped in and led the two freed hostages to safety.

Once again Grover was disappointed that neither of them was Samantha.

This time Steve kept his eyes peeled for one of the released hostages bearing a message. It didn't take long before a very pregnant teacher made her way towards him. A man, who Steve assumed was her husband, had his arm wrapped tightly around her. Steve could tell all the man wanted to do was get as far away from the school as possible but the woman, like the teenage messenger before her, wore a determined look.

"Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes."

"I have a message for you."

"Yes. Here, please sit down. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

"I'll make this as quick as possible so you can get home," Steve smiled at her.

"Thank you. It's been a bit of a day."

Steve looked at the woman's husband. "Your wife is a master of the understatement."

"Yes, she is," the man smiled back.

"So, you have a message from Catherine?"

"Yes. She wanted me to tell you that the detonator has an electronic switch. It's crudely wired. The way a lot of civilian military contractors in Afghanistan do it. She believes it's jammable. She wanted me to tell you she's working on determining the frequency. She just needs a little more time.

"Thank you. That's very helpful."

"I hope so. Most of my students are still in that room." She brushed away tears.

"We're doing everything we can. Is there anything else you can tell me, anything you observed yourself that might help?"

"One of the men hasn't moved from the back of the auditorium since the whole thing began. He's right inside the back door. One of them has been up on the front of the stage most of the time. It's really only the other two, Barnes and Tomas, who move around at all."

"That's good information. Thank you."

"The man in charge, Barnes, he seems really intent on finding out what happened to his friend. I think he's willing to hold out as long as it takes to get that information. But once he gets it…..I'm afraid…like I said my students are still in there."

"I'm gonna do everything I can to get them all out safely."

"Thank you. Ms. Rollins, she works for you?"

"Yes, she does."

"She's doing a great job in there. One of the men, Tomas, is very twitchy and seems to want a violent end. Every time he starts trying to influence Barnes Ms. Rollins finds a way to calm things down. I'd say it's thanks to her there haven't been more injuries."

"That sounds exactly like her," Steve smiled sincerely.

"I'm not sure if she'll be interested in ever coming back to this school after this is all over, but I'd still really like to see that assembly."

"I'll see what I can do. Now let your husband take you home and fuss over you," Steve smiled.

"Thanks, I will."

As Duke led the young couple away Grover cleared his throat.

"I know this isn't the time for this but I just wanted to say….I owe you an apology. Those things I said about Catherine were out of line. And clearly off the mark."

"Thanks."

"I seriously underestimated her."

"Lots of people have made that mistake. Now let's figure out a way to give her some more time to get the frequency of that detonator. Once this is all over you can apologize to her yourself."


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW you guys. I am absolutely floored by all the lovely reviews. I'm a little behind on responding. I apologize. But I promise to get to each one soon.**

**One more chapter after this one.**

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**3:30 P.M.**

As the time ticked down to the 4:00 P.M. deadline the emotions of the hostages threatened to spiral out of control. They became more fidgety and the crying that had abated somewhat since the initial moments of the takeover returned.

Catherine couldn't help but worry as she noticed the change in atmosphere only served to make the hostage takers, especially Tomas, more agitated.

That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

She did her best to exude an air of calm and confidence, hoping it would spread to the others, but it was getting harder to do by the minute. Not because she didn't think Steve and the team would have a rescue plan in place. She was positive they would. But she knew that if she couldn't determine the frequency of the detonator, and get that information to the people outside, the chance of a successful rescue attempt was cut significantly.

The more restless the hostages became, the more agitated Barnes and his men became, the harder it was going to be for her to do what she needed to do.

Without warning, Principal Fiske leapt to her feet and exploded at the men. "What kind of monsters are you? These are innocent children. They've done nothing to you. How can you involve them in your problems with the Navy?"

Tomas moved down the stairs from the apron of the stage in a matter of seconds and slammed her in the nose with the butt of his gun, knocking her to the floor.

"No, wait…" Catherine jumped to her feet.

"Would you like to be next?" Tomas turned and leveled his gun at Catherine.

Everyone in the room froze.

"Enough! Put the gun down!" Barnes yelled from his place on the stage apron.

"Just let me show them how serious we are," Tomas sneered.

He locked eyes with Catherine but didn't lower the gun. The standoff continued, neither willing to back down.

"I said lower your weapon," Barnes growled menacingly.

Tomas did as he was told without dropping his stare. "Fine. But if they don't come through by 4:00 she's dead at 4:01."

"Fine," Barnes agreed. "Now everyone just sit back down and be quiet. The pizza will be here soon."

Catherine resumed her seat and looked across the group to Principal Fiske, who had removed her scarf and was using it to absorb the blood flowing from her nose.

She fought desperately to stay in the moment but the adrenaline rush from the encounter, coupled with the sight of the bloody scarf, took her back to Kabul.

_Flashback_

_It took a few minutes for Catherine and her team to regain their bearings after the explosion. As soon as they did they headed to the back of the room._

_She knew, of course, that there wouldn't be any survivors. No one standing as close as the girls were could have lived through the blast._

_But still, she was unprepared for what she saw._

_She'd been in battle before, seen casualties, dealt with tragic loss of life. But this felt different somehow. _

_These were children. _

_Innocents. _

_Whose only crime was wanting to get an education and refusing to be married off to solve the financial problems of their parents._

_The mingled smell of death and explosives was so strong Catherine could barely breathe._

_There was blood everywhere. _

_Pools of it on the ground. _

_Splatters of it on every piece of debris. _

_Everywhere she looked._

_Everywhere she stepped._

_The blood of the children._

Catherine snapped herself out of the memory of that horrible day in Kabul. She couldn't allow that day to steal her focus away from this one.

She was determined that no one on the outside, be it Steve or the team or Grover and any HPD officer or forensic technician, was going to have to wade through the blood of these children.

Not if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**3:40 P.M.**

Steve, Danny and Grover stood just outside the command center pursuing every angle they could think of to get more information. Danny and Grover worked the phones, calling anyone and everyone they thought might be able to help, or might know someone else who could.

Steve continued searching through old files on Catherine's laptop. He studiously avoided one specific file. He knew what it contained. And he couldn't let himself think about that now.

More specifically he couldn't allow himself to worry if Catherine was doing battle with those memories at this very moment.

He'd heard about the explosion at the school in Kabul within 24 hours of it happening. A friend who knew of his connection had called to give him a heads up.

It was another three days before Catherine was able to call herself. Even then she couldn't get out more than a few words without sobbing.

Steve was thankful she felt comfortable releasing her emotions with him. He knew she would never allow herself to do so around her Navy colleagues.

His heart broke at the pain in her voice. All he could do was listen to her, and offer as much support and encouragement as he could from half a world away.

The thought that she might be reliving even a fraction of that pain now hurt his heart.

He was pulled back to the present as Chin rushed excitedly into the command center.

"Steve, we hit the jackpot. Kono called G.B.C. Consulting, the company Kimble and Barnaletti worked for in Afghanistan. She talked to the guy who actually made the decision to fire them. A guy named Frank Sesnick. He has _a lot_ to say about these two."

"Like what?"

Steve focused all his attention on Chin.

Danny and Grover hurriedly finished their calls, eager to hear the new information.

"Apparently they started off as model employees but as they spent more and more time on the job their behavior became troubling. He reprimanded them at least half a dozen times and finally he had to fire them."

"Behavior became troubling how?" Grover asked.

"They would disappear, sometimes for days at a time, and never give any real explanation for where they'd been. Materials, including explosives and ammunition, started to come up missing. What finally got them fired though was a question about a rather large sum of missing money."

"When was the last time he had contact with them," Danny asked.

"He said he hasn't talked to them since he fired them. When Kono explained what's happening here he said he's more than willing to help in any way he can. He won't release anything about any specific missions but he's sending over everything else he has on the guy and he says he's available to answer any questions we might have."

"Excellent. That's great work."

"He said he's very familiar with the kind of detonator/bomb combo Barnaletti builds. He's including plans in the info he sends over. "

"Lou, we need to get that to the bomb squad guys as soon as it arrives so they can get us some recommendations," Danny said and Grover nodded his agreement.

"Also, he said he has a few employees here on the island who worked with Barnaletti in the past and might be able to help with some firsthand knowledge."

"Can we get them over here right away?" Danny asked.

"Kono is trying to work that out as we speak."

"Lou, have your guys on standby to meet with them. I don't know exactly who these guys are and we don't have time to find out but if they have info about Barnaletti and the kind of detonators he builds I want us to have it too," Steve said.

"Don't worry. My guys will handle it."

"As soon as Kono gets anything else she's gonna send it to our phones and Catherine's laptop. I'll have her send a copy to Grover's phone."

"This is perfect," Steve said, his adrenaline starting to pump as he felt the finish line getting closer. "Now we just need to buy a little more time for Catherine to get the frequency."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**3:40 P.M.**

The arrival of the pizza gave the hostages something to focus on, at least momentarily, other than the ticking clock.

Catherine watched as the students ate, struck by incongruity of the image. Average teenagers engaged in an average teenage activity, pizza eating, while sitting mere feet from an explosive device that could kill everyone in the room within seconds, being watched over by a group of heavily armed men.

As much as she disapproved of the move Principal Fiske had made earlier, especially because it only served to enflame the passions of the hostage takers, she agreed with the woman's sentiments.

How dare these men do this. How dare they saddle these children with this memory.

Once she managed to get the frequency and convey it to Steve she could get down to the business of preparing the students for what was going to happen when the team moved in. That part she was surprisingly calm about. She knew that Steve would know exactly what she would have the students do. It was one of the good things about the two of them having shared such a similar background in terms of training.

After the encounter between Tomas and Principal Fiske, Barnes had retreated to the far side of the stage with his second-in-command. The distance certainly helped prevent any further dust-ups but it also made it nearly impossible for Catherine to have any chance of determining the frequency of the detonator Barnes was carrying.

And doing so was essential to getting everyone out safely.

She knew she had to come up with a plan.

Fast.

The clock was ticking.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**3:45 P.M.**

The men looked up as Lieutenant Commander Fernandez made his way back into the tent with a troubled look on his face.

"What'd you find out?" Steve asked.

"Not much," Fernandez sighed uneasily.

"What does that mean," Grover insisted.

"It means not much. The case is classified."

"I couldn't care less about classified right now," Steve said heatedly. "I want to know everything you have on Leon Kimble."

"You have to believe me. I have nothing more on Leon Kimble now than I did two hours ago."

"Look, I'm done with you. We're finally making some progress here and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let everything fall apart now. So we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way," Grover growled.

"Listen, I'm telling you the absolute truth here." For the first time since Fernandez arrived on scene he dropped the whole military façade and spoke sincerely. "This is way above my pay grade. Captain Richards has assured me it's way above his as well."

"I find that hard to believe," Danny scoffed.

"I'm only passing along what I was told. Plus…."

"Plus what?" Steve asked.

"Plus….I was asked to stand down and return to base."

"Are you kidding me? You can't walk out now. We need to buy some more time…."

Steve knew the Navy policies as well as anyone, better than most, but he was infuriated at the thought that they would abandon the remaining hostages.

Suddenly something Fernandez had said penetrated his anger.

"Wait….you said you were asked to stand down."

"Correct."

"Asked….not ordered?"

"Initially it was an order, but I managed to get Captain Richards to rescind that. I explained to him that there is no way I can walk away from the situation now in good conscience and that I was willing to chance the repercussions if the order stayed in place."

"The repercussions being a court martial," Steve pointed out.

"Worst case scenario…yes."

"You were willing to risk a court martial to stay here and help?" Danny asked.

"Again, that would have been the worst case scenario. But I don't have to worry about that now since the order was rescinded."

"I had you all wrong, Fernandez," Steve said as the other men nodded in agreement. "I thought you were one of those guys who would cling to the rules to the last possible minute."

"I intend to continue to follow every Navy regulation until this situation is concluded," Fernandez said with a twinkle in his eye. "It's just that a few of them might have a little damage from bending by the time we get there."

Steve smiled. "So what do we know?"

"We have the basic details. Kimble was taken into custody nine months ago. He was grabbed in a raid on a Taliban command center. The Navy had reason to believe he was either working with the Taliban or selling them military secrets. When they searched his apartment they found quite a bit of classified info."

"Who was leaking the info to him," Grover asked.

"We have no idea. Apparently that's part of the ongoing investigation."

"Apparently?" Danny said. "You mean you don't know?"

"That's exactly what I mean. The information collected after his arrest got passed up the chain of command, all the way to DC, next thing anyone knew the guy had disappeared into the system and everyone associated with the case was told not to ask any more questions."

"He's been taken to a black site." Steve sighed.

"Sounds like it, but I can't be positive. The details are locked down tight."

"So there's absolutely no way we can let this guy talk to his friend. Or see him," Grover said.

"Definitely not. I don't even know where Kimble is. I couldn't even begin to guess."

This had been Steve's biggest fear since they found out what Barnes was after. That Kimble was somewhere with no access.

If Barnes realized there was no chance Fernandez could arrange for him to talk to his friend, let alone that he didn't even know where Kimble was, he might just decide to detonate the bomb and kill all the hostages.

"So where does that leave us," Danny asked.

"Nowhere good," Fernandez admitted.

"We may be in better shape than you realize," Steve said. "We've managed to dig up some information on our own. Including a lead on some people who can tell us about Barnaletti's bomb building habits. Like Grover said, things are starting to come together. We can't lose faith now when we're finally this close."

"So what's your plan?" Fernandez asked.

"The first thing we need to do is figure out a way to get him to release more hostages. Catherine's last message said she needed a little more time to determine the frequency the detonator was operating on. We have to give her a chance to get that information out to us."

"Right. Then what?" Danny asked.

"Then we need just enough time for the G.B.S. guys to meet with the bomb techs and come up with their best guess of exactly what kind of explosive device we're looking at. Jamming the detonator is a temporary measure. Once the jamming starts we're going to need to get them into the room as quickly as possible to actually disarm the bomb itself."

"My guys will be ready," Grover said confidently.

"We also need a blueprint of the school so we can see exactly what we're gonna be facing once we get into that auditorium."

"I'm on it," Chin said.

"All that's left at that point is coming up with a plan to breach the room. It's gonna have to go off like clockwork if we want all the hostages to get out unharmed. If we're going to be using jamming devices we're going to need noise cancelling headphones for the whole team. We can't have anyone getting disoriented."

"So you've decided jamming is the best way to go," Fernandez asked.

"I don't think we have any other choice," Steve said frankly.

"You're probably right. I just want to make sure…..look I'm not trying to throw cold water on anything….someone needs to point out that sound jamming, while effective, is not foolproof."

"I know that," Steve said. "But even if there was some way we could manage to take Barnes out before he pressed the detonator, which is unlikely, we don't know whether any of the other men has a duplicate."

"We'll need a frequency," Fernandez said. "The more specific the better."

"Catherine is working on that."

"How does this whole jamming thing work," Grover asked. He wanted to understand every detail of what was going to happen since his daughter's life was most likely going to depend on it.

"It works on the same principal as sound masking. If we know what frequency the detonator switch operates on, we can flood the room with a competing signal that is so loud and so sustained the detonation signal can't get through. It's an effective method if you know the frequency of the detonator. It gets a little more complicated if you don't know the frequency."

"How so?"

"If we know exactly what frequency the detonator is operating on we can use a very intense sound wave to block it. If we're less sure about the frequency we have to use a broader spectrum of sound and that diffuses the power of the signal."

"And if we have to use a diffuse signal?" Grover asked warily.

"The more diffuse the signal the more chance there is that we don't get a 100% block and the bomb goes off."

"Then we need to find a way to get more hostages released so Catherine has a chance to let us know whether she found out the frequency or not," Grover said emphatically.

"Agreed." Fernandez nodded.

"So how do we make that happen?"

"I put some thought into that on the way back over here," Fernandez said. "We can certainly use the PA system to transmit sound but to get the best results we're going to need to get another device into that room. Something to intensify the sound."

"What kind of device?" Steve asked.

"We can use a laptop or a tablet if we install the right kind of software on it."

"OK good. So how are we gonna get it in there?" Steve was in full-on strategy mode now.

"I've been thinking about that too," Fernandez said. "We need to do two things. We need to get another device in and we need to get more hostages, or at least one more hostage, out. Our only option at this point is to make one contingent on the other."

"Right," Steve agreed. "We have to convince him the only way he'll be able to talk to Kimble is if he allows us to send in our own device."

"I can sell that," Fernandez was in strategy mode right along with Steve. "I'll tell him that we're arranging a call with Kimble but that we need to send in a secured device to complete the call."

"Think he'll buy it?" Chin asked.

"He's gonna have to if he wants to talk to Kimble as bad as he says he does."

Steve glanced at his watch. "It's 3:55. We need to make the call." He turned to Fernandez. "You ready."

"Let's do this."

Fernandez took a deep breath and dialed Catherine's number.

Barnes picked up on the third ring.

"You better be calling to tell me you know where my friend is."

"I am," Fernandez said as he glanced at the other men gathered in the makeshift command center, listening to the call on Chin's phone.

"Where?" Barnes asked anxiously.

"He's at an overseas site."

"I KNEW it," Barnes said angrily. "I knew he was…that they had…..no one would say anything but I knew…..I want him brought here."

"There's a lot of work that would have to go in to making that happen." Fernandez kept his voice steady. "I can't make any guarantees."

"I told you what would happen if…."

"Listen to me. Listen to me."

"What?"

"All I said was that I can't make any guarantees as far as getting him here physically. That is something that I could never have arranged in the two hour window you gave me. But there is something I can do for you."

"What?"

"I can at least let you talk to him."

"How?"

"I can provide you with a secure connection. I've talked them into allowing that much. We're working on getting a visual but I can't guarantee that. But I will be able to let you hear him."

"That's not enough!"

"It's the best I can do right now. Getting them to agree to even that wasn't easy. I'm trying to help you but we have to take this in steps."

"You better be telling me the truth because if you're not every hostage in this room is dead."

"I'm telling you the truth. I can provide you with a secured connection that you'll be able to use to communicate with Leon Kimble."

"I want to talk to him right now," Barnes thundered.

"We're setting up the connection. It's tricky because we need to gain access to a remote location. It's going to take 90 minutes minimum to get all the satellites in place."

"Ninety minutes is too long," Barnes growled.

"It's the best I can do." Fernandez held his ground.

He knew the team needed time to plan the breach and he wanted to give them as much as possible without pushing Barnes too far and causing him to lash out unexpectedly.

"You better not be trying to pull something."

"I'm not." He looked at his watch. "I will have you connected to Leon Kimble by 5:30 at the latest."

"Fine. But this is the last delay. If for any reason I am not talking to Kimble by then I kill everyone in this room."

"Understood. But this is a big thing so I need something in return. I need you to release another batch of hostages."

"Once I see my friend."

"No. They need to be released in exchange for the secured tablet."

"How do I know the tablet isn't rigged?"

"Rigged how? It's a thin tablet. I'm trying to help you here but you have to work with me."

"I've _been_ working with you and yet I'm still not talking to my friend."

"Maybe not, but you're a lot closer than you were a few hours ago."

"You better be right."

"I am. But you have to give me something."

"Very well," Barnes agreed angrily. "But the clock is ticking."

"Understood. I'll get a secured tablet and have it ready to send in to you within 30 minutes."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**4:15 P.M.**

Catherine could only hear one end of the conversation between Barnes and Fernandez but it was pretty clear a firm deadline had been set. Which meant the team would most likely be breaching the room sooner rather than later.

She had one more chance to get them all the information they needed to help bring the situation to a successful conclusion.

'Now or never,' she thought.

It took her less than a minute to come up with a plan.

Barnes was pacing back and forth across the apron of the stage. Catherine grabbed a can of Coke and one of the pizza boxes that had been sent in to feed the students and moved towards him.

"Would you like some pizza?" she asked looking up at him.

Barnes looked at her suspiciously.

"I told you," she said with a conciliatory tone, "I'm just trying to make everything as pleasant as possible. I have no ulterior motives."

Barnes reached out to take the box with his right hand and at the same time Catherine thrust the can of Coke towards him. Out of instinct he grabbed the Coke with his left hand. In the split second his hand opened before he took the Coke Catherine got a clear view of the detonator.

"I'm sorry," she said as he juggled the pizza box. "I didn't mean to….."

"Have a seat, Lieutenant Rollins."

Catherine turned without another word and rejoined the group. She closed her eyes and pictured the detonator again, reaffirming the frequency in her own mind.

Now all she had to do was get the information out to Steve.

She saw her opportunity 15 minutes later when Fernandez called to arrange the exchange of secured tablet for hostages.

"This is the lucky moment for some of you," Barnes said as he faced the group. He pointed to the students sitting farthest away from the bomb. "You….," he counted silently, "….the 19 of you. Get up. You're being released."

Catherine shot to her feet. "Release Mrs. Dutton as well, please," she asked as nicely as she possibly could. "Sitting on the floor is hard on her. She doesn't need to stay here any longer."

Barnes was in no mood to argue. One less hostage wouldn't make that much difference in the end. All he cared about now was getting to talk to Leon Kimble.

"Very well," Barnes said, shaking his head, "She can go too."

Catherine leaned over to help Mrs. Dutton up off the floor. With her back turned to Barnes she said "As soon as you get out you need to find Commander McGarrett and give him this message."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**4:20 P.M.**

Grover watched once again as a group of hostages made their way hurriedly down the front steps of the school.

Once again he was disappointed Samantha was not among them.

More so this time because he knew now that Samantha would be in the auditorium when the team moved in. The thought terrified him. But it also left him even more determined to make sure it went off without a hitch.

Within a minute of the release Duke led Mrs. Dutton and her son to the command center.

"You have a message for me?" Steve asked anxiously, used to the routine by now.

"Yes. Ms. Rollins said 600-625. She said you'd know what that means."

"I do. Thank you." Steve looked at Fernandez who immediately began calibrating the equipment he would use to transmit the sound.

"She also said to tell you '_just like the pros do it'_."

Steve smiled. "Got it. Thank you very much."

"Oh, and also that she can hear her phone chirping in Barnes' pocket so she knows the battery is going dead."

"Thank you. That actually works in our favor," Steve said. "Was there anything else?"

"No. That was it. Is that information going to help you get everyone else out safely?"

"Definitely," Steve smiled at her.

"I felt bad leaving the rest of them in there. I'm an old lady. I've lived a good life. If someone had to die today I would have rather it was me than one of my students."

"That's very sweet of you," Steve said. "But no one is going to die today. Those kids will be back in the classroom giving you a hard time before you know it."

"I hope you're right, Commander McGarrett. Ms. Rollins seems to have a great deal of faith in your ability."

"That goes both ways," Steve smiled. "Now why don't you go ahead home and get some rest."

"I'll do that. Good luck to you and your whole team, Commander. I'll be praying for you."

"Thanks. I'll take it."

"Ok let's suit up," Steve said as Mrs. Dutton and her son were led away. "Are we ready to go with the frequency?"

"I'm ready. But I have to ask….just because it's standard in these kinds of situations. How confident do you feel about Lt. Rollins' frequency number?" Fernandez looked at each of the other men in turn. "600-625 is a very narrow range. If her guess is off at all, and we only block for that range, the bomb will most likely go off."

"And if her guess is right?" Grover asked.

"If her guess is right, and we can focus the sound on that very narrow range, the blocking is virtually guaranteed to work."

All eyes turned to Steve.

"I'm 100% confident of the number. If Catherine wasn't certain she would have given us a bigger range. She understands exactly how the technology works. If she said 600-625 that's what it is."

Grover looked at Steve. It was hard not to be swayed by his stalwart conviction. He knew the decision he was about to make could mean life or death for his daughter.

"I'm confident too. Go with 600-625."

Danny and Chin nodded their agreement.

"600-625 it is," Fernandez said.

"What did Catherine mean—just like the pros do it?" Danny asked.

Fernandez and Steve shared a knowing smile. "It means she took Admiral Lennin's seminar at the Naval Academy," Fernandez chuckled. "He'd drag our asses out of bed at 0300 on the coldest, rainiest days of the year and take us out into the woods to practice rescue techniques."

Steve picked up the story. "We would all try to impress him with new ideas but he was never convinced. He used to say the most effective way to handle it was..."

Fernandez joined in and he and Steve said in unison "Down on three. Just like the pros do it."

"Which means?" Danny asked.

"It means the third time you hear the word 'down' you hit the deck," Steve explained. "Catherine is probably preparing the rest of the hostages for what's going to happen as we speak. The fact that her phone is going dead is actually a blessing. It gives us an excuse to use the PA again."

"I'll call in and tell him that we're almost ready to connect the call. I have to find a way to work the word down into the conversation three times. On the third one, if everything goes as planned, all the hostages will flatten themselves out on the floor, the sound jamming will start, and the team will breach the room."

"There's no if involved," Steve said confidently. "Everything will go as planned. We'll make sure of it."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**4:20 P.M.**

"Excuse me," Catherine said, standing up once again to face Barnes.

"What now, Lieutenant Rollins?" Barnes asked with an edge to his voice.

"Would it be alright if I gather the children together for a prayer?"

"There's no need for that. If Lieutenant Commander Fernandez comes through you're all walking out of here. If he doesn't a prayer won't help you."

Catherine kept her gaze and tone even.

"I would like to pray with the children. May I?"

Under different circumstance he would have been impressed by her spunk. As it was he was mildly annoyed. He just wanted to get on with the call. Still, he decided it couldn't hurt.

"Make it quick."

"Thank you."

Catherine motioned for everyone to move in closer. Once they did she knelt in the middle of the group and while keeping a wary eye on Barnes and Tomas she explained exactly what was about to happen.

"I can't tell you exactly when," she whispered, "and I can't tell you exactly how, but at some point very soon you are going to hear a voice, probably Lieutenant Commander Fernandez, talking. And he is going to use the word "down" three times.

You need to listen to me because this is very important. It could be the difference between life and death."

Catherine looked up to make sure Barnes and Tomas were not in earshot.

"The third time you hear the word "down" you need to flatten yourself on the floor, face down, and cover your ears. There's probably going to be a very loud noise so don't let that throw you. Stay on the floor, don't raise your head or move at all, until the police tell you to do so. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes," they all murmured softly.

"Good. Now when you first hear the voice try to stay calm so you don't give anything away. Just remember to hit the floor on the third 'down'."

"That's long enough," Barnes yelled from the apron.

"Amen," Catherine said loudly enough for him to hear then took her place next to Samantha again and waited.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**4:50 P.M.**

After much discussion it was decided a team of eight would make the initial entrance into the auditorium. Steve, Chin, Danny, Grover and Grover's four most accurate shooting SWAT officers. Two men through each door. They would be followed by five members of the bomb squad who would serve as spotters during the initial raid then disarm the bomb after the hostage takers were neutralized.

They were all outfitted in full tactical gear and wearing noise cancelling headphones which would allow them to take accurate shots once inside the room without any adverse effects from the loud noise.

The men gathered together to receive their final instructions.

"We're not taking in any walkie-talkies because we can't chance them getting wind we're outside the doors before we're ready," Steve told them as each man made a final check of his equipment. "We're going to operate on a clock instead of with verbal commands. We'll have five minutes from the time we enter the school to get into position. Remember we are doing a silent entry. They cannot know we're coming. You need to be in place by 5:05. Not a second later."

"You need to have your headphones in place as soon as you get in position to avoid any sound issues. This means you're not going to be able to hear Fernandez on the PA. There will a bomb squad member at each door, headphones off, who will give you the signal when it's time to move in."

"I don't need to remind any of you," Grover said resolutely, "how important it is that you pay close attention and we make a simultaneous entry from all points."

All of the men nodded their understanding then Grover continued.

"Once we breach the room we need to be as cognizant as possible of the position of the hostages. We have every reason to believe they will be laying flat on the floor but you never know how someone may react in this situation. So be careful. Fewest number of shots possible. Keep them high. Aim for the head. Neutralize the four hostage takers as quickly as possible."

"Then get the hostages out of the room through the left hand exit which leads out of the building so the bomb guys can do their work. Everybody clear on the plan?"

"Yes," thirteen voices said simultaneously.

"You ready to go," Steve asked Lieutenant Commander Fernandez.

"Yes. I'll hit the PA at exactly 0505. I'll claim it's because the phone isn't working. I'll tell him we're ready to connect the call. On the third use of "down" I'll flip the switch and both the PA and the tablet I sent in will start emitting sound at an ear-splitting decibel."

"Ok, everyone. Let's do this right."

Fernandez watched as the men turned and walked determinedly towards the school.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**5:05 P.M.**

At exactly 0505 Fernandez pushed the button on the PA system and began to speak.

"Your call will be ready to connect in less than five minutes. I'm currently unable to reach you on the cell phone we've been communicating on. Apparently the battery is dying. Since time is of the essence I'm going to give you directions via the PA."

Barnes pulled Catherine's phone out his pocket. Sure enough the low battery indicator was blinking.

"I'm not sure how good the connection will be so I need everyone in that room to keep the noise level down."

The eyes of every hostage turned to Catherine. She nodded almost imperceptibly to indicate this was it.

"Please understand that I will keep the call connected as long as I can but there is always the chance the satellite will go down. Please do not panic if that happens. I'll do everything I can to get it back online immediately."

Barnes picked up the tablet Fernandez had sent in as Tomas moved to stand beside him. This was the moment they'd been waiting for.

"Please tap the icon named Communication Options on the tablet I sent in to you. Look down….

Suddenly the air was filled with an ear splitting sound.

The hostages threw themselves flat on the floor with their hands over their ears.

Catherine threw herself over Samantha in an effort to give Captain Grover's daughter a little extra protection.

And all of the auditorium doors flew open at once.


	5. Chapter 5

**Seriously, I have had so much fun writing this. I'm actually sorry to see it end.**

**This one is dedicated to Mari. I hope you like your birthday fic even though it turned out to be nothing at all like what it started out as. You're the best writing partner a person could ask for and I can't wait to get started on our next one!**

**To everyone who reviewed this-THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Your thoughts and words are very much appreciated.**

**To all the Twitter folks who have passed messages through Mari-you guys are the best!**

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Auditorium**

**5:05 P.M.**

The most immediate effect, and also the most welcome one, of the ear splitting sound that flooded the auditorium as Fernandez said 'down' for the third time was that it momentarily stunned and immobilized the hostage takers. The 10 seconds it took for them to realize what was happening was all the time Steve and the team needed to get in position to take them down.

The man who had remained in the rear of the auditorium during the entire ordeal was the first to die. He was standing with his back to the doors, watching Barnes and Tomas on the stage attempt to connect what they believed was going to be a call from Leon Kimble, when four members of Grover's SWAT team burst in. He managed to turn and raise his gun to waist level before one of the men took him out with a single shot to the head.

Those four men then continued down the center aisle, prepared to offer cover fire for the hostages, who were all laying face down on the floor, if necessary.

Grover and Chin came through the door on the right hand side of the stage. Wilson, disoriented by the sound, stumbled towards them. His lurching movement made it impossible to set up a single shot but the fact that he was on the raised stage allowed them to take multiple shots without endangering the hostages. After a short volley he fell off the edge of the platform at their feet. Dead.

Steve and Danny came in through the door on the left. They predicted that both Barnes and Tomas would be on the apron of the stage, waiting for the phone call from Kimble to be connected, and they were right. The two remaining hostage takers instinctively began moving towards the only door in the room that led to the outside. When they spotted Steve and Danny they raised their guns but were taken out by two short bursts of gunfire before they could get off a shot of their own.

In less than 30 seconds all four hostage takers were dead on the floor.

The team members checked the downed men for any sign of a pulse and found none. They kicked away the men's weapons and gave the all clear signal.

Immediately they began lifting the hostages up and carrying them to safety out the door on the left. The high decibel sound in the room rendered anyone without ear protection dizzy, disoriented and struggling to get their bearings.

The objective was to get everyone out as quickly as possible so the bomb squad could do their work. The eight team members began lifting the hostages one at a time, carrying them to the grounds outside and passing them off to waiting HPD officers who then transported them to the far end of parking lot that took up much of the area on that side of the school.

Catherine and Samantha, because of their close proximity to the bomb, were among the last people cleared from the room. Catherine felt a pair of strong arms grab her from behind and lift her effortlessly into the air. Instinctively she reached for Samantha but felt her being pulled away by another set of arms.

Seconds later, although she still had her eyes closed against the nausea and headache that were threatening to overwhelm her; she could smell the fresh air and knew that she was outside. She found herself being effortlessly passed off to another set of arms. She attempted to open her eyes but the sensation that the entire world was spinning like a top forced her to close them again to avoid throwing up.

The ear splitting sound began to fade as her rescuer carried her farther away from the building and next thing she knew she was being placed gently on the blacktop. She immediately attempted to stand but couldn't get her balance and slid back to the ground.

She laid flat but the spinning got worse so she sat up. She took a few deep breaths and attempted to stand, once again with no luck.

She finally came to rest on all fours, eyes closed, breathing deeply and waiting for her equilibrium to return. She could hear people moving around her, and assorted voices telling her to just stay on the ground.

But she couldn't wait. She was desperate to get her eyes open and count.

There were 33 hostages left in the room when the rescue attempt got underway.

She couldn't relax until she knew all 33 were safe.

She struggled once again to get to her feet but this time as she stumbled backward she felt strong, steady hands on her elbows, helping her up and providing the balance assistance she needed.

"Catherine. Catherine." A voice was making its way past the ringing in her ears.

"Danny?" She grabbed his forearms.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, you need to just stay still….the sound is messing with your balance….."

She interrupted him. "Is everyone ok? Did all the hostages get out?"

"Yes, Cath. Everybody got out," he assured her.

"Is Grace ok?" She stumbled a little to the left but Danny held on and kept her upright.

"She's fine. She's safe. She's with Kamekona."

"Thank God. Are you sure all the hostages got out? There were 33. Did 33 people get out?"

"Yes."

"Did you count?"

"I just finished counting," a different voice said. "There are 33. Everyone made it out."

"Steve?" She turned towards his voice, swaying immediately from the movement. As she struggled to keep her footing she felt his strong arms slide around her. Those arms that she would know anywhere. She grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt and buried her face in his chest. Immediately she felt anchored.

"You're ok. I got ya. Just keep your eyes closed and wait for the dizziness to pass," he said soothingly in her ear, providing exactly the steadiness she needed.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and allowed him hold her up. "I knew you'd get everybody out."

"I knew you'd give me everything I needed to make it happen," he said as he kissed her on the side of the head.

Suddenly the noise from the auditorium stopped.

"Did I go deaf or did the jamming stop?" Catherine asked.

"It stopped," Steve laughed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just spent an hour on one those..." Catherine made a circle in the air with her hand, "….spinny things….you know what I mean…."

"Ferris wheel?" Steve asked.

"No, the other one."

"Merry Go Round," Danny offered helpfully.

"Right. That's it. Merry Go Round. Except one that was running at about 100 times the normal speed."

Steve put his hand on the back of her head. "Just ride it out."

"The bomb is disarmed Commander McGarrett," one of the bomb techs said as he approached Steve and Catherine. "We're gonna wait till the area is completely cleared before we take it out, just because of the cyanide gas canisters, but it's stable for now."

"Thanks," Steve said without releasing his grip on Catherine. "Talk to Sergeant Lukela about clearing the area so you can finish up."

"I'll do that, Sir. Thank you."

"Hey," the young bomb tech turned back around at the sound of Steve's voice. Steve glanced as his name badge "Barnhart is it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You did a great job in there today. Thanks."

The young bomb tech beamed. "Thank you, Sir," he said before he turned and walked away.

"Feeling any better," Steve asked as he looked around and saw the other former hostages, now reunited with their very thankful family members, going through the same process Catherine was.

"I don't feel like I want to vomit as much anymore," Catherine said.

"Well that's a step in the right direction," he said, then kissed the top of her head.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Parking Lot**

**5:30 P.M.**

"It's ok. Everything's gonna be ok. You're gonna be ok," Grover repeated as he continued to hold Samantha in a bear hug. They'd been standing in that exact position for at least 15 minutes while the relieved father repeated the same words over and over, as much to comfort himself as to comfort Samantha. "It'll just take a few more minutes for the dizziness to wear off."

"Daddy," Samantha mumbled against his chest.

"Yes, baby, what is it?"

"You're smushing me."

"Oh sorry." He loosened his hold on her but still didn't let her out of the circle of his arms.

"It's ok, I just couldn't really breathe."

"Are you sure you're ok? You're not hurt?" He looked her over for the 10th time since they were reunited in the parking lot.

"I'm fine, Daddy. I promise. Is everyone else ok?"

"I'm pretty sure," he said as he looked around the area. "As soon as we got everyone out all I could think of was finding you though."

"Is Ms. Rollins ok?"

Grover looked across the parking lot and saw Steve and Catherine wrapped up in each other. "She's fine, Baby."

"I need to thank her. She was super nice to me. I was scared but she told me she was sure that you and Commander McGarrett and the rest of the police would save us."

Grover's next words caught in his throat. Knowing Catherine had had such faith in the people on the outside all along, and that she'd used that faith to help Samantha feel better, made him feel worse about the way he'd lashed out and questioned her abilities. "We both need to thank her then."

"She's pretty cool, Dad. Did you know she was in the Navy?"

"I did."

"I think I might want to be a cop just like her. I hope we get to see her give the assembly later on…you know…..after everything gets straightened out."

Grover smiled at the innate resiliency of children. He knew there'd be issues to deal with going forward, and they'd handle those together when the time came, but for right now, in this moment, he reveled in the fact that she was safe and happy.

"I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to come back and do the assembly, but if she doesn't maybe I can go and hang out with her at Five-0 the next time we don't have school."

Captain Grover dropped his head. He had no idea how he felt about his impressionable teenage daughter being influenced by the exploits of the Five-0 team. "I'll talk to her about it. Maybe the two of you can just go out and spend a day together."

"Thanks, Daddy," she smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're welcome. Now if you feel like the dizziness has passed enough we have to go call your Mother before she comes out of her skin and flies back here from Chicago without a plane."

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Parking Lot**

**5:40 P.M.**

Captain Grover approached Catherine as she finished talking to Principal Fiske, who was having her nose looked at by a paramedic.

"Hey, do you have minute?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure….are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Catherine assured him. "How's Samantha?"

Grover pointed to the edge of the parking lot where Samantha stood talking on the phone.

"She's filling her mother in on all the details."

"Yeah she told me your wife was in Chicago visiting family."

"Heck of a thing to have to call your wife and tell her your teenage daughter is being held hostage by armed gunmen."

"I'm sorry. I know that had to have been tough." Catherine laid her hand on his forearm.

"Hey…no….listen. It was tough but it was nothing compared to what you were going through. Speaking of which, you definitely have a new #1 fan in Samantha. She hasn't talked about much other than how cool you are since she got out. Unless it was how awesome you are."

Catherine smiled. "It's just a reaction to the fact that I was there when she needed someone to talk to. I'm sure it'll pass."

"I hope not," Grover said honestly. "There are a lot worse people my daughter could idolize."

Catherine blushed. "Thank you."

"Listen, I have to tell you something and I want you to hear it from me before anybody else."

"Ok." Catherine looked at him guardedly.

"At one point…and I don't even really know why…..I was scared…and I felt helpless…and I ….lashed out I guess is the best description."

"How so?"

"I questioned your abilities, and your credentials," Grover said awkwardly, "and I may have insinuated that the only thing you had going for you was that you're McGarrett's girlfriend."

"Ahhh."

"Like I said. I was lashing out."

"Well you're certainly not the first person who ever thought…"

"No. Stop. Let me be very clear about one thing. Crystal clear. I said those things….yes….but I never really thought it. Deep down I didn't believe it. It was my fear talking. I needed to lash out at someone and unfortunately you were it."

"I can understand that. The wait had to be excruciating for you."

"That's no excuse," Grover said apologetically.

"Let's just forget about it."

"Before we do please let me apologize. From the bottom of my heart. It's the least I can do. I am so very sorry."

"I accept your apology. "

"Steve….well….let's just say I'm not so sure he's gonna be so forgiving. He nearly took my head off."

Catherine smiled at the thought of Steve defending her professional credentials.

"He set me straight in a big way. If Danny hadn't stepped in between us…."

"He was under pressure too," Catherine pointed out. "He may have…"

"No, no, no I deserved it. I was way out of line and he let me know. He had faith in you the whole time. He knew you'd find a way to get information out. He knew you'd find a way to keep everything under control in the room. And when you sent out the frequency number—he was 100% sure it was right."

"Well that goes both ways," Catherine said definitely. "I never had a doubt he'd figure out a way to get everyone out of there."

"The two of you make a heck of a team."

"We do if I do say so myself," Catherine agreed with a smile.

"Listen, Catherine, what you did in that room, for all the hostages but especially for Samantha, I just want you to know, there will never be a day I draw breath on this earth I won't be grateful."

"It was my pleasure. Samantha is a wonderful girl."

"Oh before I forget, my wife wanted me to give you a hug from her."

With no further warning Grover wrapped Catherine in a bear hug and lifted her into the air.

"Oh…my…well…." She mumbled into his chest.

"Put Catherine down," Steve joked as he walked up to the pair. "She made it through the whole ordeal relatively unscathed. I don't need her getting smashed by you."

Grover lowered Catherine to the ground. "I was just apologizing to her for the things I said."

"You told her about that?" Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Yes."

"How are your collarbones?"

"Intact," Grover laughed. "which I take as a good sign."

"Lieutenant Commander Fernandez wanted us to stop by the command center so he could meet you," Steve said to Catherine. "After that I'm taking the amazing Ms. Rollins home and unplugging the phone."

"Who uses a plug in phone anymore," Grover snarked.

"It's a gesture," Steve said as he put his arm around Catherine's shoulders.

"I thought it was a very sweet thing to say," she smiled as she kissed him on the cheek.

"That's all that matters," he grinned at her.

* * *

**Academy of the Sacred Heart**

**Command Center**

**6:00 P.M.**

Danny and Chin were finishing up with Lieutenant Commander Fernandez when Steve and Catherine entered the command center.

"There she is," Chin smiled. "He hadn't had a chance to do more than give Catherine a quick hug since the whole ordeal ended. "How you doing? You ok?"

"I'm good."

He opened his arms and she stepped gratefully into his hug. "I was a little worried about you," he said softly in her ear.

"Thanks."

"If you need anything you let me know."

"I will."

When she finished talking to Chin, Steve redirected her attention to Lieutenant Commander Fernandez.

"Catherine this is Lieutenant Commander Fernandez."

"Nice to meet you, Sir. You did impressive work today," Catherine reached out and shook his hand.

"I could say the same thing to you, Ms. Rollins."

"Call me Catherine, please."

"Ok, Catherine," he smiled. "We couldn't have brought this situation to a successful conclusion without your help."

"Just doing what I was trained to do."

"I think it went a little farther than that. You should be proud of the work you did in there today."

Steve beamed with pride as he watched Fernandez compliment Catherine. She deserved every word.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Oh, there's one other thing."

"Sir?"

"As soon as the command at Pearl found out you were one of the hostages they flagged your name in the system to keep watch on anyone who might try to access your information."

Steve looked at Danny and swallowed hard.

"They noticed that someone logged in under your screen name and accessed some of your old files."

"What…who…."

Fernandez looked at Steve. Catherine followed his eyes and was happy to see that Steve at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"I was trying to find out if there was anything on Kimble in the old files. I'm not gonna apologize for doing anything I could to help get you out of there."

Catherine couldn't bring herself to be angry. In his position she would have done the same thing.

"I explained to them that I had managed to ascertain your password during one of the information exchanges and I had logged in through your account to look at your mission specific files," Fernandez told Catherine.

"Really?" Steve asked. "You covered for me?"

"I didn't do it for you," Fernandez teased. "I did it to avoid trouble for Ms. Rollins…I'm sorry….for Catherine."

"But what if…are you going to be in trouble…" Catherine asked.

"No, under the circumstances it's being put down as reasonable action."

"Thank you, Sir," Catherine smiled.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander" Steve echoed.

"Don't mention it," Fernandez smiled. "Now I'm afraid I have to get going. My wife and I are attending a photo exhibit tonight."

Catherine and Steve looked at each other and smiled.

"Hey, maybe there's still time for us to make it," Catherine laughed.

"No way. I've had enough excitement for today. Let's go home."

* * *

**McGarrett House**

**6:45 P.M.**

As soon as they got in the house, just the two of them, alone, Catherine felt her emotions start to move towards the surface.

"You hungry?" Steve asked. "Or did you fill up on pizza."

Catherine laughed. "Hey it worked, didn't it? Got them to release more hostages so I could get another message out."

"It did," Steve smiled then turned serious. "I mean it, Cath. That was a brilliant strategy."

She smiled.

"I knew you'd be right on top of things. And I knew you wouldn't buckle under the pressure, but you went far above and beyond that." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thanks," she smiled as she snaked her arms around his neck. "I knew that if I could just get a couple of key pieces of info out to you you'd figure out how to free everyone."

"Every person in that room owes their life to you, Catherine." He kept one arm tightly around her waist while he raised the other hand and pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

"And you."

"I'll take a very small slice of the credit. The bulk goes to you."

"Thanks." She kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Are you hungry?"

"Maybe a little. I think there's some pasta in the frig. I need a shower first though."

"I'll warm up the pasta and open a bottle of wine while you shower."

"Sounds good," she leaned up to kiss him and after a few seconds he deepened the kiss. The reality of all the things that could have wrong hit him all at once and he couldn't let her go. He needed to feel her in his arms. The way she was kissing him back told him she felt exactly the same.

He walked them a few steps to the side and lowered them down onto the couch, never losing contact. He pulled her closer, touching her at every point from head to toe. He continued to kiss her for a few minutes more then buried his face in her hair and simply held her, intertwining their legs.

They laid in total silence for 15 minutes. Finally Steve spoke.

"I should let you get a shower."

"No, it's ok. Let's just stay here for a little longer."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

**McGarrett House**

**7:15 PM**

Thirty minutes later Catherine finally made it to the shower. When she emerged after 15 minutes she felt refreshed. She went downstairs to find that Steve had set up dinner on the lanai.

"Feel better?" he smiled and rose to greet her as she came out the door. He kissed her gently on the lips and pulled out her chair.

"Much. Thank you."

"Ok then, dig in."

Catherine picked distractedly at the pasta for a few minutes, lost in her own thoughts, before finally pushing back from the table.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm just not really as hungry as I thought."

Steve could tell she had something on her mind, which after the events of the day was more than understandable.

"Wanna go sit down on the beach?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

They settled side by side in the comfortable wooden beach chairs. He reached for her hand and squeezed it, then rested their joined hands on the arm of her chair.

"Were you thinking about Kabul today?"

"Some. I mean I tried to stay focused but…"

"You're only human, Cath."

"As scary as some moments were inside that room today, I knew that everyone outside was working as hard as they could to get us out. Like there was a plan..you know…"

"I know."

"I felt like if I could just do my part by getting you the information you needed from my end that everything would turn out ok."

"That's exactly what happened."

"And I'm grateful for that. I am so, so grateful for that."

He squeezed her hand and she turned her head to look at him. "Me too," he said softly, but she could clearly see the depth of his feelings in his eyes.

"I just can't help thinking that if I'd had a little more time in Kabul. If I'd have been there from the beginning, things might have turned out different. Those girls might still be alive."

"Come here," Steve held out his arms and Catherine gratefully left her chair and slid in to his lap.

"We've talked about this, Catherine. If you'd been in on that mission from the initial stages it may well have been different. You'd have had a tighter rein on things. But you were thrown in to the middle of things and you did the best you could do."

"I know that. I mean, intellectually I know that."

"But?"

"There was a moment in that room today when all I could think of was how the school looked after the explosion. The blood everywhere." Catherine's eyes filled with tears. "Everyone was walking in it. It couldn't be avoided but….still…..it was all over my boots. I couldn't get it off."

"I know how hard that was, Cath."

"It's not fair. Those girls never really had a chance."

That was the thing she'd had the most trouble dealing with. The unfairness of it all. She was well aware that life isn't fair, but there was so much potential in those girls that never had a chance to come to fruition.

"But you know what?" Steve said.

"What?"

"Every time you save a life, every time you help someone find their way out of a bad situation, every time you provide comfort for someone who's scared, like you did today—you honor the memories of those girls. They didn't have a chance and you're right, that's not fair. But their influence lives on in you. And that's the best way you can possibly honor their memory."

Catherine rested her forehead against his. "How is it you always know exactly the right thing to say?"

"I simply speak the truth."

She kissed him lightly and dropped her head to his shoulder.

"You ready to go inside?"

"Can we just sit here for a while?"

"Anything you want." He said as he tightened his grip and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

* * *

**McGarrett House**

**Day After School Takeover**

**6:00 PM**

"Did he say where we're going," Catherine asked as she put on her favorite necklace and checked herself in the bedroom mirror.

"Nope," Steve said as he grabbed his suit jacket.

Danny had called an hour earlier and told them to be ready to go at 6:00 P.M. Dressy casual attire. He refused to say exactly where they were going, just to be ready.

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"I'm very curious."

"Did you ask?"

"Several times."

"Shouldn't we drive ourselves?"

"He said he'd pick us up."

"I'm a little nervous."

"Me too. But I figure you'll protect me," Steve smirked.

"Smartass."

An insistent knocking on the front door heralded Danny's arrival.

"I guess all our questions will be answered soon."

Steve and Catherine made their way downstairs and opened the door to find Danny waiting on the other side with Grace.

"Catherine," Grace said as she threw her arms around her 'aunty'.

Catherine knelt down and wrapped Grace in a hug. "Hi, Gracie. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you? You're the one who had a scary day."

"I'm good, sweetheart."

"I brought you something."

"For me?"

"Yes," Grace handed her a small plastic baggie containing a single chocolate chip cookie. "It's the cookie I promised to get you from the cafeteria."

"I remember," Catherine smiled. "Thank you so much. This is so thoughtful."

"I was gonna leave it with Danno yesterday so he could give it to you as soon as him and Uncle Steve rescued you, but I was afraid he'd forget."

"Or he'd eat it," Steve added helpfully.

"Or he'd eat it," Grace giggled.

"Well, I won't let anyone eat it," Catherine assured Grace. "This cookie is all mine. I'm gonna leave it right here on the end table and I'll eat it as soon as I get home."

"Don't you eat it, Uncle Steve," Grace warned.

"I won't Gracie. I promise."

"OK now that that's all taken care of….let's go," Danny said, rubbing his hands together.

"Where are we going," Catherine whispered to Grace.

"I can't tell you. But you're gonna like it."

* * *

**Wayne Gallery**

**Oahu**

**6:30 P.M.**

"Traitor," Steve said to Danny once he realized they were headed towards the gallery housing the elbows and knees photography exhibit.

"Show a little gratitude, Steven. I had to work very hard to get them to open this exhibit for us tonight. They were ready to uninstall it."

"It would have been a shame if that had happened," Steve grumbled.

"It was supposed to be one night only. But when I explained to them how devastated you and Catherine were to have missed it after yesterday, they agreed to open up for a private viewing."

"That was very nice of you, Danny," Catherine said.

"Thank you, Catherine. I'm glad someone appreciates all my effort."

When they pulled up to the gallery there were a number of familiar cars in the parking lot.

"Surprise," Grace yelled, unable to hold back any longer.

"Surprise?" Catherine asked. "What kind of surprise?"

"It's a Happy Ending party."

Steve smiled at Grace, remembering what Danny had told him about her comment from the previous day.

"I've never heard of a Happy Ending party," Catherine said excitedly.

"Yesterday Danno wanted to take me home after I found him at the school but I said he had to stay and help Uncle Steve and Captain Grover and everybody else's families find a happy ending. So I went home with Kamekona so Danno could stay and help."

"You're a very sweet girl," Catherine said.

"I was telling Kamekona that and he suggested we have a Happy Ending party at his shrimp truck when it was all over."

"That was a great idea."

"Danno said he liked the idea of a party but we should have it here because you and Uncle Steve were sad you didn't get to come here last night."

"Danno is a real prince," Steve said.

"Well I can't wait," Catherine said. "Let's go inside."

They walked in to find Chin & Leilani, Kono & Adam, Grover and Samantha, Duke and Kamekona waiting for them. In the corner was a table overflowing with food Kamekona had prepared and brought in for the occasion.

"Ms. Rollins," Samantha said as soon as they entered. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Samantha," Catherine said as she hugged the young girl, "Please call me Catherine."

"Ok. My dad said that it would be ok to ask you, if you're not coming back to do the assembly, that maybe I can spend a day with you sometime and see about what it's like to be a police officer. I think that's what I might want to do when I grow up."

"It's ok with me, sweetie, if it's ok with your dad."

"I told her she could spend the day with you," Grover said. "I'm not sure if I want the rest of these knuckleheads influencing her though."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather spend the day with your dad at work?" Catherine asked.

"Well….no….I mean I could…but…you know…." Samantha fumbled for words.

"It's ok, Honey. You can say it. Daddy isn't as cool as Ms. Rollins," Grover said.

Samantha nodded, Grace giggled and Danny barked with laughter.

"Yuck it up," Grover said to Danny. "Your day is coming."

After eating, enjoying a few drinks and just relishing time with friends, Catherine found herself standing between Steve and Danny in front of a wall of pictures, head tilted, trying to take them in.

"I think she's trying to make a statement about flexibility and the importance of staying ready to move," Steve said.

"I think it's partly that, but also about learning to extend yourself in the world," Danny added.

Catherine shook her head. "I'm not sure what deep meaning there is in pictures of elbows and knees."

Steve and Danny burst out laughing.

"At least we're trying to find the meaning," Danny defended.

"You're both full of crap," Catherine smiled. "You see no meaning in these pictures."

"You're the one who wanted to come," Steve reminded her.

"I was trying to be a supportive friend. But this is…I don't get it." Catherine shook her head.

"Maybe you'll listen to me next time I say I don't want to go to something like this," Steve said as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Don't count on it."

"Thanks for inviting us," Grover said as he approached the trio, "but I need to get Samantha home."

"Thanks for coming," Catherine said. "Samantha you call me and we'll set up a time for you to come and spend the day with me."

"Thanks," Samantha said.

"Listen, if McGarrett ever gives you any trouble you call me and I'll take care of him for you," Grover said as Samantha rolled her eyes.

"I think Catherine has proved she can take care of things herself," Danny said as he nudged her shoulder.

"True. But she might need help hiding the evidence.

* * *

**McGarrett House**

**10:00 PM**

"Thanks for throwing a Happy Endings party, Grace, it was so much fun," Catherine said happily as Danny pulled the Camaro into the driveway beside Steve's truck.

"You're welcome," Grace beamed.

"The party was a great idea, Gracie. But next time don't let your dad pick the location," Steve teased.

Grace giggled. "We'll see, Uncle Steve."

Steve and Catherine said their goodnights and made their way into the house. Catherine slipped off her shoes immediately.

"It's still early. Wanna watch a movie?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," Catherine said, turning and putting her arms around his shoulders. "I think I'd like to turn in early." She dropped a line of kisses along his jaw.

"Really? Tell me more," Steve said as he started backing her towards the stairs.

"I'm more of a show kind of girl than a tell kind of girl," Catherine purred. "And I'm not anywhere close to done celebrating my happy ending yet."

"I like the sound of that," Steve grinned. "And just for the record, I'll celebrate happy endings with you forever."

"I'll hold you to that."


End file.
